A Loser's Love Life: Sakura's Story
by Lives-In-2D
Summary: AU: Sakura is a geek who has been pushed around at her job for a long time, but doesn't really care. She lands a job as the secretary of the main owner of the world-famous Uchiha Corp. by a crazy twist. He's a jerk, she hates his guts. Rating may change.
1. Pinkie's Screw Up

**So I had this posted sometime mid-2009? And I'd got many reviews! However, when I went back to re-read it and see how much I've changed over the past few months, I saw that FanFiction TOTALLY messed up the format of my story. Making it seem as though I'm some retard who can't describe the end and the start of a scene.**

**Thus, here is the edited and (hopefully) improved Chaper-1!**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. If I did, he'd be in my bed right now.

****

"Oi, Pinkie! Get me the Yagami file, pronto!"

My boss yelled. I sighed. It was my second year working at the Uchiha Corporation and my own boss _**still**_ didn't know my name.

"Yessir! I'll go search!" I called back and heard him grunt.

Just so you know, my name is Haruno Sakura and I'm an assistant to a junior manager. Basically, a_n assistant's_ _assistant_. **That's **how lame I am. God! I hate my life, I hate my job and almost everything about me and my stupid existence.  
Oh, except for one thing - I LOVE my friends. If it wasn't for them, I'd be in therapy.

Back to my oh-so-wonderful day. I found the file seven rooms down the corridor, scurried back to my boss as fast as my scarily long legs would carry me and plopped it onto his table, breathing heavily.

"Bring it slower next time, Pinkie." was all the jerk said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm sorry sir," I gasped, wiping beads of sweat off my _GINORMOUS _forehead. "I got held up because Teuchi-san wanted me to type out a letter of-"

"Yeah, save it. I'm leaving. Complete this, I need to give it in tomorrow morning." he rolled his eyes, handing me a thick file. He left without another word.

So I shut up and retreated to my desk. I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes tiredly. I'd been staying late nights ever since I'd been promoted a couple of months ago. From coffee-girl to assistant. BIG difference. Now I have to complete shitloads of paperwork AND get everyone coffee, tea and whatever else the fuck they wanted. To top it off, I didn't get much of an increase in the paycheck, and NO overtime. I would fight with the authorities about that, if I could still handle confrontation. My temper used to be horrible, and I used hit all my friends' boyfriends just because they were idiots and they pissed me off. Why? Because I could. But some genius decided to send me for anger management, and they toned me down a lot. Don't ask how. I just remember a lot of rainbow and happy-place talks. Not to mention serious threats.

_I just want some rest!_ My head hurt and I needed sleep! _Might as well rest up before starting the work..._

That was my last thought before my head dropped onto the stack of papers and I began my nightly drooling ritual.

****

"HARIKO! WAKE UP!"

There it was. The annoying voice again. I mumbled something and snuggled into my...papers? Fuck! I shot up from my seat in shock.

"G'morning, s-sir!" I stuttered nervously, straightening my skirt and shirt which has got tussled up over the night. "It's Haruno, by th-"

"I don't give a shit!" He roared, his cheeks _maroon _with the uncontrollable rage I knew he was holding in. "You've not completed any of the work I gave you last night! I'm supposed to give it in in 3 minutes! What's the big boss gonna say, piggy?" _Piggy? Because of the hair?_

"I'm so sorry! I-"

"I'm going to the meeting to clear up YOUR mess." he turned and walked away.

I sank into a chair. This was my first ever **major** mess-up. I'd screwed up things earlier, but never this bad. I reached up to brush away a few tendrils of my hair and realized how tangled it was.

"I better go clean up..." I murmured absently as I shuffled out of the office, destination - the washroom. It took me five minutes to look like my orderly, nerdy self again and as I washed my hands, I wondered just how bad I'd screwed things up.

The return trip from the bathroom was...well, eventful. I managed to mess up my job a bit more, for one. I wasn't looking where I was going and I bumped into someone...and made her fall. I apologized immediately, of course, and helped her up, I'm not rude. But she was. I even helped her pick up the files and folders she'd dropped, all the while apologizing.

She kept screaming how I'd messed up her hair and her dress and her shoes and basically, I'd committed a cardinal sin by making a pretty girl fall. She was everything I wasn't, and that was the main reason I stared at her, open-mouthed.

She was a petite redhead, with gorgeous reddish eyes and a killer body. She wore a short, skintight dress. To work. A pretty, blue sundress. And she still looked professional. She was currently swearing in a _very _ladylike manner while popping a contact lens into her eye, and she STILL looked hot! That said, it's all from a girl's VERY jealous point of view.

"I'm very sorry! Is there anything I can do?"I asked once more as she glared at me. I pretended to cower since these types liked that, I knew I could kick her skinny ass if she tried anything.

"Yeah, get thicker glasses, idiot!" she sneered.

"Uh...I'll carry these for you." I offered. I didn't want any enemies at work. I had no friends (who wanted any with bitches like her around?), but having enemies would screw my life over more.

"Whatever. Walk faster. Hold them properly!" she didn't bat an eyelid at my offer and shoved everything into my arms and began walking towards the conference room. _Really _fast too, for someone with heels that high. She had the strut of a confident woman who knew what she wanted and - aw, shove it! She walked like an overpaid slut!

I followed her meekly. I used to be a spunky kid uptil college, but the minute I got a job at this hell-hole, my life turned over. Everything was the opposite of what it had been earlier. One of those things was my newfound meekness. It was easier to be a clutzy idiot who shuts up than a clutzy bitch who ruins everything for her boss and gets fired.

"Why isn't it complete, Sakon?" I heard a deep voice ask the minute I entered the huge room. It was cold and laced with anger. I shivered; Sakon was my boss.

"Uchiha-sama, I-I'm s-so sorry." the partying jerk began.

"Well, saying sorry completed all the work." the cold voice spoke again. I couldn't see anyone clearly from behind the tall stack of folders and besides, I needed to hide my face.

"It's just that..." he looked around as the redhead in front of me hit him on the shoulder and walked further down the long table. "My dumb assistant-"

"You," the girl I was helping interrupted him. "hand out those files to everyone."

"Hai!" I replied softly, still hiding my face. I didn't want to see Sakon; nor have him see me; nor face the owner of the deep voice, which was actually very sexy.

On the way to the conference room, I'd found out that the girl - Karin, she was called - was _very _close to him, the Boss. In more ways than a PA, or so she said.

I quickly placed a folder in front of each chair and by the time I got to Sakon, I had just a handful left. Sneaking a hand around him, I tried to place the file without facing him but he was glad of an interruption and looked at me.

Looked. At. Me.

Recognition dawned on his face and he grabbed my shoulders and jerked me around to face the Big Boss. My glasses shook and I fixed them shakily.

"THIS is the idiot who didn't complete my paperwork!" Sakon yelled triumphantly. My face burned, tears prickled my eyelids. But I didn't cry. I **don't** cry.

"Sakon-san..." I began hesitantly.

"Shut up!" he yelled. "No excuses, you _knew_ I had to give it in today! UGH! Do you even have a brain behind that HUGE FOREHEAD?"

"Um..." I was at a loss for words. I _did_ have a rather large forehead, after all.

"...it was _your_ work._ She_ didn't have to do it." the brunette at the head of the table interrupted.

"Uchiha-sama, she's my assistant and-"

"And the work was classified information for senior and junior managers only. You had no right to make her do it. It's your fault."

I couldn't believe it. The BIg Boss was standing up for me. Uchiha Sasuke was defending me. Okay, not defending ME, but still! I didn't look up though, didn't want to jinx anything!

"The meeting is postponed till after lunch." the shadowed figure announced to the room. "Sakon, his assistant, Karin - stay. We need to talk."

As the people left the room, gossiping about the the three of us, Uchiha got up and walked over to us. My head shot up and I faced him for the first time. I wish I hadn't, but still I was glad I had. The man in front of me was...unbelievably handsome.

****

**Okay, I know. It sucks, right? It moved too fast and...I dunno. I've written too much of this story to give up now! So please leave me a review and tell me you'll still read the story?**

**EDIT: Wow, some of the stuff I wrote was LAME and unneccessary! So it's been edited. I really hope that some people reading this are older reviewers! :)**


	2. Unexpected Events

**Oh gawwdd, I had to fix this chapter. SO MUCH. It was so messed up and childish and...ruined. Pretty sure I'ma be doing this all day.**

**The main storyline is still in place, with a few minor tweaks. Most of the chapter titles are the same as well :)**

**I really hope you like it! ^_^**

**Disclaimer is in the first chapter.**

****

So it was just us four alone in the large conference room. Uchiha Sasuke looked like he didn't care; Karin looked smug; Sakon was a cross between annoyed and worried. I was shit scared.

"Why were you doing the work...?" Karin asked, finally acknowledging me.

"Haruno Sakura," I supplied. I saw the raven haired hottie's eyes show recognition at my name. Interesting?

"...Haruno?" she finished.

"Coz she's my assistant. She's been doing this shi-, I mean, this work for ages!" Sakon interrupted.

"No one asked you. Shut up." she ordered him. He shrugged. I heard him mutter, "Whore," before he got the evil eye from her again.

"So, let me get this straight." Karin drawled, leaning over the raven haired guy giving him an eyeful of boob. "You read lots of confidential data and even fixed some of the errors?"

She was talking, of course, to me. I clenched my fist, hoping to calm myself.

"Yes, that's right."

Sakon snorted, but was silenced by a glare from Uchiha Sasuke. Saved again.

"You really messed things up for us, didn't you Sakon?" Karin said, evilly. He gulped.

"For _us_?" that was the boss man again. Karin whirled around to face the owner of the Corporation. I noticed her freakishly tiny breasts wobble and stifled a laugh.

"Yes! For ou-the company!" she explained, overly smiley. He didn't buy it.

"It's MY company." he stood up, and I wasn't too surprised to find he towered over each one of us. "And you shouldn't be so quick to judge, Karin. I have reports on you too."

"On me?" the redhead echoed, pointing a scarlet nail to her barely-there cleavage. I refrained myself from rolling my eyes. Gots to keep the image up at work, after all.

"There's a reason I asked you all to stay back." the brunette explained. "You're fired."

"FIRED?" I yelled, startling everyone, who had turned pale. I retreated the moment I remembered my motto: Don't draw attention to yourself.

"How? Why? I didn't do anything, Sasuke-_kun_!" Karin screeched, clutching his sleeve. It was SO obvious she wanted him as more than a boss.

"Here's proof of your deals with other companies. You can go over it while packing up your things." he made to leave the room and no one stopped him. Karin and Sakon were busy glaring daggers at the file HE had left on the

table, at each other and at HIM.

"...and I've got copies of that, so don't bother destroying it." the two quickly pulled their hands away.

"Uchiha-san!" I called, hurrying behind him. We were in the hallway where I'd bumped into Karin. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Hn?"

"I didn't do anything, sir! I just typed what all was given to me! I didn't cheat the company and I-" I tried to explain, gasping in my haste.

"I know. _You're_ not fired. You're my new PA."

"..."

"Starting Monday."

"WHAT THE HELL?" I yelled. He stopped again and turned around to face me properly this time.

"You need to be more composed if you're going to take on such a responsibility." he pointed out. "Do you not want a promotion? I made sure to read your file before making this decision. Sakon has been giving in good

reports since the exact time you joined the firm, Haruno. It's obvious you're good at your job. This is a better opportunity for you, better pay too. If you still don't want it, it's fine."

I blinked. WOW. That was...sudden. Came out of the blue. I hesitated. He waited. I opened my mouth to politely accept but...

"Omigosh! Thank you SO much!" I shouted, lunging at him. He stiffened, but being the maniac I am, I tightened my hold on him. "I needed a break like this! THANK YOU UCHIHA-SAMA!"

"Get. Off. Me." he ordered, his eyebrows knitted together. Realizing my position, I immediately let go. "Shite! I'm so sorry, it won't happen again, sir." I groaned, bowing and staring at the floor to hide my flaming face.

"Report at nine sharp. D-Don't be a second late." I was surprised at the sudden stutter. It was so unexpected, coming from a man like him. The rumour mill had informed me that he was a cold, unfeeling bastard with no sense of humour and overly confident. And popular with the ladies, as was usual with gorgeous multi-millionaires. So I was allowed to be shocked when the infamous Uchiha Sasuke STUTTERED, right?

"YOSH!" I replied, but he'd already disappeared. The smile on my face refused to, however. I ran to my old desk (in Sakon's old office!) and began clearing out my stuff. It took less than 10 minutes to take my stuff out, pack it into a box and give the desk a swift dusting. I was free. FREE!

****

_What was that feeling right now?_ A flustered Sasuke thought. _Such a strange girl...her hair...her __**forehead**__... _He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

He had never encountered such a lively girl, her meek, geeky exterior had fooled him. She intrigued him.

****

I ran out of the huge building and began to walk toward my house. Holding the tiny box under one arm, I quickly took out my cell phone and punched in the number of my best friend.

"Ino-pig!" I squealed the minute she answered.

"Wow, someone's happy! What's up, Forehead?" she laughed and I smiled wider.

"You know my crappy job where I hate everyone for being assholes and they hate me for being a wimp?" I asked, mischievously.

"Yeah, I still don't get why you act-" she began.

"PIGGY!" I cut in, annoyed that she was not letting me continue my story. "Let me finish!"

"What? You asked me a question and-"

"Fine. I won't tell you! I'm gonna call TenTen an-"

"NOOOO!" she screamed and I winced at the sheer volume. "Tell me first! I'm your bestie, bitch!"

"Hah! Okay, so my boss Sakon, remember the greyish haired guy?"

"Um...I think so...he was kinda cute."

"A little." I agreed. "Anyway, so he gave me some work to do and I fell asleep and stayed overnight at the company and this morning he woke me up all pissed off because I hadn't done the work and he got into trouble. Then he tried to pass it off as MY fault to the OWNER of the damn corporation, but turns out he was gonna get fired anyway and the Boss' personal assistant was leaking information to other firms and they BOTH got fired!" I completed triumphantly.

"Um...okay...wow, hot news?" Ino asked me, sounding very confused. I sighed.

"Well, apparently Uchiha Sasuke had read both mine and Sakon's files and was pretty impressed and-" I paused, holding out my hand to flag a cab.

"...Uchiha Sasuke, huh?" Ino's voice was becoming curious.

"Hold on a sec," I told her, then told the cabbie where I had to go. "Yeah, so basically, you're speaking to HIS new PA!"

There was a pause and then my mobile burst into a million pieces of plastic and other...material. Ino shouted over and over again until I told her to shut it.

"Noooo! WOW! Billboard-brow, I'm so proud of you!" Ino squealed, and I could imagine her doing a little jig in her flower shop. "Meet me tonight! I'll tell the girls! I'm so happy!"

We spoke for a while more then hung up. It took around 20 minutes to get to the crumbly street that held up my small cottage-like house, which was equally shabby. I noticed the cab-driver's look while I payed him. He even gave me some money back, saying it was too much. I didn't like being pitied, but hey, I needed some cash. I got a much needed break by getting the job, and now more opportunities were sprouting up and I would grab them and hold on with both

hands - anything to make my life better. Besides, I needed some dough for shopping and hanging with my friends...it had been WAY too long since I'd had any reason to have fun!

****

**Holy. So I'm pooped. And I'm supposed to go swimming later today. I HAVE TO FIX MY STORY!**

**Please read and review, I hope it's easier to tell when there are "gaps" in the story! :)**


	3. Chillin' With The Girls

**So I'm STILL re-doing and fixing this story! I messed up a bit and now the chapters are all unorganized! But not for long! HAHAHA! I'll be FIXING this up properly! I hope you enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Naruto _or anyone from it!

****

"Sakura, you're finally here!" TenTen grabbed me in a death-hug and I laughed. Or tried to, seeing as I couldn't breathe.

"Hello...S-Sakura-chan." said Hinata softly, peeking out from behind TenTen.

"Get off her!" Ino commanded, pulling TenTen away by her hair-buns. "FOREHEAD! C'mere!"

And she proceeded to squeeze the remaining dredges of air from my lungs. I pushed her off, gasping and laughing at the same time.

"Guys, don't overdo it! It's just been a few months!" I said. "It's not like I died or something!"

"It sure felt like that," TenTen snorted. "Look at you! Even _I_ wouldn't wear anything that ugly!"

"Hey! I'm sorry, but I didn't have any money to buy new clothes so I had to make do with the clothes Mum left behind!" I frowned. "They're not _that_ bad, right?"

"Yes they are." the three said in unison.

"Okay, okay! I'll be getting more money with this job anyway, so maybe I could change my image at work." I sat down in one of the many plushy chairs Ino had.

"Great! When you get your first BIG paycheck, tell us and we'll go shopping!" Ino declared.

"Damn..." TenTen swore and Hinata hung her head. They hated shopping, WE thrived on it!

I laughed as I looked around. We were all so different, yet we bonded better than most would.

Okay, so some background info would help you understand my friends, right? Okay, I'll give you the heads up on each of them.

_Yamanaka Ino_ - she was a gorgeous blonde and owned a flower shop. She seemed to be the stereotypical blonde-bimbette, but she had the some of the high morals similar to Catholic schoolgirls! Ino was the kind of best friend you just _knew_ would turn up miraculously to save your ass. And she had these weird moments, when her periwinkle eyes went blank and she stared into space. Spooky psychic blonde. She read our minds! Ino was incredibly close to her father, a private detective, and visited Konoha-gakure (our hometown!) often, just to see him.

_Hyuuga Hinata_ - shy, beautiful, graceful and had the _curviest _body. Her hair was a great shade of indigo that complimented her pale coloring and pearly eyes. She was the motherly figure who was the glue that held us four together. Another great friend to have, very loyal but very unlucky in love. She had worse luck than I did! A million guys would flock her when they saw her, but the moment her stuttering voice got too much for them, they disappeared. She was a temp, doing odd jobs all the time. Her latest one was a substitute teacher at an elemetary school.

Her father had been a strict man. He was a multi-billionaire, and never had time for the family...except for her younger sister. She became eerily withdrawn because of her upbringing. She'd left her home the year she turned 19 and got a job. She still kept in touch with her little sister and sometimes spoke of her cousin who was the current head of the Hyuuga businesses - neither had been seen by us. Ever.

_Uh...TenTen?_ - a pretty tomboy. Those words best described her. She was single, just like the rest of us, the only difference was that she was _happy_ about it. She loved weaponry and martial arts, so she was an archery and fencing trainer.  
Despite being an orphan, she had been sent to school, so she wasn't illiterate. She became close to a boy there, Rock Lee, and considered him her brother. Through him, she met his _favorite_ uncle, Maito Gai, a professionally trained martial arts instructor. Gai-sensei, as we all called him, had taken a liking to the "youthful flower" that was TenTen and taught her to perfect her aim and to wield different weapons. Lee worked with her at the Club where she taught, so we'd all met him. He was an adorable brother-figure to us all, a little..._eccentric_, like his uncle, but very sweet.

_Haruno Sakura _- ME! I'm very similar to Ino in every way. Except where she was blonde and blue eyed I was green eyed and...well...pink haired. Okay, I KNOW it's weird, but I was born with it! And Ino said I'm unique! So there! I used to be very violent, as I've told you, but now that I've toned down, I feel like a wimp. I've changed a lot, but I can still feel the anger lying dormant within me. Something BIG has to happen for that to be unleashed, and till then, I must suffer the weakness that comes with being a subservient machine. Right after I graduated from medical college, my Mum became sick. My Father retired to look after her, and we were left with the minimum of Dad's pension. So, before I could start my internship, I was hard-pressed for a quick job. Which landed me in here.

Anyway - the weirdest thing was, ALL FOUR OF US WERE FROM THE SAME VILLAGE! And we were friends here, in Tokyo too! How cool, ne?

Realizing I'd zoned away from what my three friends were yakking about, I shook my head to clear my thoughts and focused on the hand that was waving in front of my face.

"Huh, what? I didn't catch that, Ten-chan." I murmured. She rolled her eyes and repeated herself.

"Whatever. Ino said you got a major promotion and are now, um...is that true?" TenTen asked, tentatively. I grinned and nodded vigorously.

"Ten-chan? Ask her what you _really_ want to...go on!" Ino prodded, a wicked smile on her face. TenTen turned away in a huff.

"What, what?" I looked around, they were hiding something. "Tell me!"

"Ano...Sakura...is it _true _that your new boss is, I mean you're the PA of..." Hinata took a deep breath and asked nervously, "Uchiha Sasuke?"

I smirked. What was the big deal? Wait...how did they know his name?

"Yeeah...what's the big deal and how do you know his name?" I asked slowly, eyeing them all suspiciously.

"Eeek!" Ino shrieked, bouncing out of her chair. "You are SO lucky, bitch! I thought you were shitting me earlier, but...omigosh!"

"I hate that conceited prick, but he isn't unfortunate looking." TenTen admitted. Hinata rolled her eyes, saying nothing.

"How do you guys know him?" I wanted to know. "Is he famous or-"

"FAMOUS?" Ino came back. "You work at the _infamous_ Uchiha Corp. and you ask if billionarie-hottie, Uchiha Sasuke is **famous**?"

"..."

She disappeared and came back with newspaper clippings. She set them on the coffee table before me with a flourish.

"The minute you told me his name with no squeal, I knew you'd need the help of these." she explained.

I gave a "wtf" look, but rifted through the small pictures. They all had my boss with a different girl on his arm, at all these fancy functions. They were all famous and drop-dead gorgeous.

"Uchiha Sasuke - multi-billionaire, owner of Uchiha Corporation, aged 28. Unmarried, gorgeous, reputedly coldhearted, ruthless businessman. True-blue playboy-bachelor." Ino ticked off on her fingers.

"...what are you saying?" I asked. TenTen snorted, Hinata smiled worriedly, Ino sighed dramatically.

"Sakura," she said, putting an arm around me. "Don't fall for his charms. You'll end up hurt!"

I started laughing. I couldn't help it. They were being ridiculous! It was cute how worried they were.

"You guys are crazy!" I laughed.

"Sakura, you like eye-candy. You fall easily for guys. Combine those two and you get screwed over." Ino stated, matter-of-factly. "You WILL get screwed over."

"Me falling for him might just be possible, he's cute." I said, a little miffed. I saw their dismay clear in their faces. "BUT, I seriously doubt he'll fall for me."

"Hey! Are you being like Hinata again?" Ino yelled, hands on hips.

"W-What? What do you mean, Ino-chan?" Hinata asked, surprised.

"You're both so low on self-esteem, I want to SMACK you!" she explained, still yelling. TenTen looked like she was sleeping with her head on Hinatas butt.

"Ino, look at these girls!" I held out the sheets. "They're gorgeous, feminine and well, amazingly hot! I, on the other hand," I gestured to myself. "am everything they're not! That is - bleagh! Plus, I look like shit at work! If I try hard enough to dress up, I might make the cut of 'decent-looking', but not if I continue looking like...like Dorine from the 'Office Killer'!"

"Dude, you can try all you want, you'll never look that scary." TenTen said bluntly. Apparently she wasn't sleeping. "You're far too..._naturally_ pretty!"

"Aw, thanks!" I laughed.

"Promise me you'll watch yourself around him, Billboard Brow?" Ino asked, worry creasing her annoyingly normal-sized brow. I smiled.

"I wouldn't dream of trying my hand at something that unattainable, Pig." I winked.

"Good. Now I've been thinking...when are you going to get contact lenses, those glasses are gross!"

"When I can afford them, ass!"

As the playful banter began among us all, the three looked visibly less worried, and I was glad for that. Anything but their constant prying into my work life. I didn't need THAT.

****

**Seriously. Dorine from "Office Killer" is pretty freakin' scary. Google her. But don't watch the movie, it's pretty crappy =/ Very lame and dark, like barely any lighting to show how the killings happen.**

**BUT ANYWAY, I hope ya'll liked this chapter - it's kind of like a filler, but also gives important background info ;) LOL, seriously though - I hope you liked it and that you R&R! Much love for reviewers!**


	4. My Boss Is A Jerk

**I love all my reviewers! I really miss you guys! LOL I doubt any of you are actually re-reading this series, but it would mean a lot to me :) Anyway, read on, I hope you likey!**

**Disclaimer:** Yeah. Still own nothing.

****

_Okay, relax. _I told myself, taking a deep breath as I waited for the elevator to deposit me to the top floor. _It's your first day, you're neatly dressed if not trendily, BUT looks don't matter! Go go, Sakura!_

As soon as my little pep-talk with myself finished, the shiny doors swished open and I supressed a squeal. I was smart and levelheaded. I did not squeal...except when I was with the girls. I marched forward confidently in my (ugly) heel-less black shoes and neat yellow and green pinstriped skirt that reached...UGH!...mid-calf. That's right, I dressed like a schoolmarm on my first day at work. However, the white shirt inside the matching coat made the outfit rather pretty, and dare I say, professional. The colors were so faded that the outfit wasn't as garish as it once used to be. It clashed a _**bit**_ with my hair, but on the whole wasn't t too bad.

I reached the large, airy office within minutes and went straight to the wall that seperated Uchiha-sama's office from mine and knocked on the door and opened it a bit. He looked up and nodded. I entered and straightened my skirt nervously.

"Uh...I just wanted to thank you again, for this opportunity, sir. I REALLY appreciate it, a LOT. And-" I began to babble but he cut me off.

"Hn." I did a double take. _What the hell does THAT mean? Did he even SAY anything?_

"Excuse me?" I asked again.

"HN."

"Did you say something, Uchiha-sama?" I was worried. Was my hearing getting muffled?

"YES. You're welcome and you can GO now." he said, irritation evident in his voice and on his face.

"Ah, 'kay! Bye!" I waved cheerily, smiling like an idiot as I backed out of the room quickly. I bumped my butt into the door and had to turn around to open it.

I rushed back to my office and sat down in my chair. I just made an idiot of myself for the SECOND time in front of my boss! I had to improve things! So, I sorted out my huge table that the bitch before me (Read: Karin) left in a mess. Unfortunately, I was too used to cleaning and sorting things out. In 3 hours, I had answered all the letters, arranged and sorted folders and files, disposed of old nail-polish bottles and even wiped the desk-surface clean. Twice. I sat down and sighed and checked my watch again. I still had 5 hours till the day ended and all my work was done!

"Haruno," I looked up, startled. Nobody knew my name here!

"Hai! Uchiha-sama?" I shot to attention, standing up. He raised an eyebrow.

"Get into my office, I have to give you your job details, which_ you_ should have asked for before accepting." he ordered and turned around. I followed him quickly.

"I accept all hours so it's no big deal!" I explained as I scuttled behind him and closed the door. He had been surprisingly courteous and opened the door for me.

"It's not about hours. Look, this job is a messy deal, so if you don't mind, I'll tell you why I chose you." he handed me a few papers stapled together and sat down and rested his chin on his intertwined fingers.

"Alright!" I said confidently. How bad could his reasons be, you know?

"First of all, your predecessor was a "loose woman" and constantly tried her _charms_ on me. I don't want any more fangirls, girlfriends are bad enough. So don't fall for me." he stated.

"Er...not a problem." I laughed at the possibility and was silenced by his glare.

"It's happened before, is all I'm saying." he rolled his eyes. "Secondly, your entire persona is perfect for the job. You appear to deal with bad-temper well so that's a plus. I have a terrible temper."

"M'kay," I wondered where all this was leading.

"Thirdly, you're quiet so I don't have to deal with girly shrieks everytime I speak, do I?" he asked and I shook my head. "Good. To top all that off, you're-" he hesitated.

"I'm...?" I prompted, hoping for a positive reply.

"Nicely put, you're no show-stopper." my eyes widened in surprise but he continued. "So there won't be any distractions for me either. All in all - you're perfect for the job."

"_**Excuse **_me?"

"What? You know it's true. A pebble can't parade as an emerald, can it?" he asked.

"Well," my hands shook with silent rage. "Thank you for pointing out my shortcomings, sir." I spoke through gritted teeth. "Anything else?"

"No. I expected such a response from you. Good." he said dismissively. My mouth dropped open. He was speaking to me like one would to a dog who'd retrieved a frisbee!

"Don't talk to me like I'm a dog!" I said loudly. "If I wanted your **blunt** disapproval, I would have asked. I didn't, so you didn't have to be so RUDE...Uchiha-sama." I added as an afterthought.

He was looking at me in mute surprise. Then he smirked.

"Atleast you defend yourself. That's new." I blinked. No apology? "Now, complete these reports and file them. I need them by tomorrow, so don't sweat it."

I wasn't satisfied, but I couldn't exactly order my boss to apologize to me. That would be stepping over the line, and I'd toed it enough for today.

"Yessir," I muttered, taking the huge bundle he gestured to and left.

The hours flew by and I was on my last report. I checked the time, 2 hours left. The work would be complete in another 15 minutes, then I could take my coffee break.

I missed my lunch! I realized with a jolt as I placed the last file neatly on top of the bundle and picked it up. I knocked on the door hiding the raven haired monster away from me, and heard a hurried "Hn," so I figured I'd enter. After placing the stuff on his desk, I stood back and waited for another job. I refused to ask for a coffee break from him!

"You look tired, leave early today. It's your first day, so don't expect me to let you off this early again." he warned.

I blinked as I realized that this was his twisted way of apologizing for his earlier remarks. My face burst into a grin.

"Thank you! Are you sure? I don't mind staying s-" I bounced on the balls of my feet unconciously, it was my habit.

"I'm sure. Go now." he dismissed me and I waved a happy goodbye. I grabbed my purse after clearing everything away and sang out a farewell again before running down the hall and on my way to freedom.

****

Uchiha Sasuke sat quietly in his chair, pondering over his confusing new secretary. She was so different from the others in so many ways. And just now, she'd forgiven him without any grudges despite his extremely disparaging remarks about her appearance earlier. He still didn't know why he'd said 'emerald' instead of the 'diamond' that was rolling around in his head.

_Maybe it was her eyes..._

****

**This chapter was CORN-AAYYY. But that's how I dooo, so I guess I'll deal with it. I hope you readers aren't gagging at the sugary aftertaste of this fic...it gets worse, yet lessens as you go on. So please do read on! And I hope you enjoy! Review please? Virtual cookies are exchanged for each review ;)**


	5. And The Days Flew By

**So, this is another kinda random chapter, but I like this one scene...hehe...you'll know which one when you read it. I use it whenever I can because some people have complimented my behind. Only girls though =( Anyway, this chapter is a bit short, but not too bad I'd say! Especially after all the editing -_-**"

****

_There! All finished! Strange how the work becomes easier as the job itself gets tougher?_

I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. Today had been so stress-free. I loved my job suddenly. Short hours, high pay, easy work. For a multi-national corporation, they sure seemed to have barely any work. Or were the lower downs shouldering it all?

_Whatever! This is a Friday so...I can meet the girls tonight! Let's see who all are free..._

I quickly checked my calendar, noting that it had been exactly 1 month since I'd started work. _Aw, I'm so proud of me!_

_Oh yeah, it's Ino's birthday tomorrow! Shit, I haven't bought her a present yet!_ I began panicking. Ino hated having no presents. She didn't care about her passing youth, preferring to be awarded (with a gift)...for still being alive. If you didn't bring her something and fibbed, she'd read your mind and call you on it. The you'd be embarassed. So it was a no-win situation. I had to speak to someone.

"TenTen?" I asked, holding my cellphone to my ear, hoping she wasn't busy. "It's Ino's birthday tomorrow! All the shops will be crowded since it's the weekend! Help me!"

"Uh huh, you know you're fucked, why're you whining to me?" she asked, cruelly.

"TEN-CHAN!" I wailed. "You're so partial to Hinata, always nice to her! So why're you such a bitch to Ino and meeee?"

"Aw, shaddup!" she snapped. "I'll meet you at the mall. What time?"

"Thanksies!" I squealed, hoping to annoy her with my powers of girliness. "I get off work at around 6, so I'll meet you then?"

"Sure. I'll tell Hinata...we need to shop too." I heard the laughter in her voice. "See ya!"

"Oh. Later!" I snapped the phone shut and stretched my arms happily. "I will survive, I will surviiive!" I sang happily.

"Shut up, Haruno."

I whirled around and matched the scowl on the intruder's face with one on my own.

"Don't be so rude!" I scolded, walking over to him and taking his coat off. "You could have just gone: Be quiet!"

"Don't tell me what to do." he said coldly. I rolled my eyes.

"Tell me that next time, _before _I do just that."

He 'hn'd and stomped into his office, slamming the door behind him.

Yes, I was rude and bossy TO my boss. But he didn't seem to mind it much and I found it nice that we had a healthy relationship. STRICTLY WORK RELATIONSHIP ONLY!

He was pretty cute but..._**okay**_, so he was mega-hot, but that didn't mean that I automatically _fell in love _with him! Yes, my pulse seemed to race dangerously fast everytime his hands grazed mine when I gave him coffee, tea or folders. His proximity seemed to set off strange signals that alerted me when he came near.

But all that was simply because I was lonely and he was hot! That's all. I wondered why I wasted so much brain power on that jerk and quickly rushed into his office.

"Uchiha-sama," I had never used his first name, ever. Except while arguing with my inner self. "I've completed all the work and was wondering if I could leave now, if there's no more work, that is."

He looked at me blankly and nodded after the longest time. I smiled gratefully.

"Thanksies!" I squealed, forgetting that this attitude and those words were reserved for a certain bun-haired girl. "I mean, uh...thank you, sir. I'll be leaving now!"

My face burning, I bowed quickly, turned around and scurried off, bowed again - mistakenly facing the door. Straightening, I faced him and muttered an apology, and bowed again. I finally made it out the door.

The expression on his face when I'd said, "Thanksies," was hilarious. He looked annoyed and confused at the same time. The second time I faced him, his face resembled the tomatoes he loved so much. His eyes were slightly wider and his lips were parted as though emitting a silent gasp. He was SUCH a weirdo. Oh well, time to SHOP!

****

_She didn't have to bend over like that!_ Sasuke was trying to calm himself down. Haruno had just left his room after giving him an amazing view of her shapely butt.

_Did she __**have **__to wear a short skirt __**today **__of all the days? It's crazy, she's always wearing ugly sacks to cover herself but looks great in them! _Then BAM! she wears a tighter-than-normal and shorter-than-knee length skirt, hideous though the colour was, and BENDS OVER! She might as well have pulled up her blouse, with the kickstart she'd given his hormones after so long a time.

****

A giggle escaped me as I exited the Uchiha building. _He had the silliest expressions!_ I thought as I made my way to the mall; it was a 15 minute walk from the office and I enjoyed the exercise. My phone vibrated in my pocket, just as I entered the mall.

"Yes?"

****

***GASP* Who could it be? Is it Sasuke? Is it Sakura's parents? Is this a cliffhanger? Meh, sorry, I had to say that.**

**I'm really tired. But I'm glad I'm editing and fixing this fic. I wouldn't want new readers to think I suck at laying out my stories.**

**Thanks for taking the time to read this! R&R please?**


	6. Party Pooper

**Again! New chapter! Edited for an easier, more comfortable read! By yours truly : ) I don't wish to detain you any longer, read on and be merry!**

**Disclaimer: **_Naruto _is not mine in any way, whatsoever ='(

****

"I didn't ask you anything, why do you always say 'yes'?" TenTen asked, her voice crackling over the phone.

"The same reason you shout, 'GO!' and Ino goes, 'Talk'," I replied with a smirk.

"Why do we always open our convos like that?"

"You do. I go with the flow."

"Okay, okay, whatever! I'm at this store called 'The Fuck' or something..." she paused and I heard Hinata's embarassed squeak, and them arguing. "FINE! Damnit, Hina! It's 'The _Funk'_, by the way, like you give a damn, Sakura. How cool is the name?"

"Very," I muttered sarcastically. "Okay, I see you guys...you're in the blue and red, right?"

"Yup, hurry over. The lights are shining on your head and hurting my eyes."

"Bitch." I cut the call and ran over to them. TenTen was wearing baggy pants and a large t-shirt, while Hinata opted for loose jeans and large full-sleeved top.

"Yo," I grinned, holding up my hands.

"That's a peace sign, dumbass." TenTen pointed to me and snorted. "Hinata already bought Ino a present, so she's here to help us look around."

"Thanks, Hina! So what did you get?" I smiled as we began walking.

"I got her a box of assorted exotic flower seeds, with instructions on when and how to grow them. It's not enough, though, is it?" she looked worried.

"You're crazy!" I stared at her. "Those must have been awfully expensive! Ino will love it!" I gave her a single handed hug.

"Thanks, Sakura." she blushed happily. TenTen was moaning about Ino's present and how much she loved her weapons.

We browsed through 3 stores before settling on presents for the wacky blonde. I got her a pair of purple suede ankle boots and TenTen got her racy, orange and black striped lingerie as a joke, seeing as she didn't get very far with men.

"So," I said as we wolfed down onigiri. "Where to now?"

"We gotta get dresses. Party dresses." TenTen stated with a pained look on her face.

"Why?"

"Ino."

"Why?"

"Party."

"Oh. Shite."

"Yup."

"Since when do you listen to blondie?"

"Since she threatened to break or mar my weapons if I didn't 'dress to kill'." She rolled her eyes and made air quotes. "Anyway, let's get this over with."

"Let's go to 'Woozie'!" I exclaimed happily. "You get great outfits for awesome prices!"

"Alright." TenTen and Hinata agreed simultaneously, looking dead.

****

"...are they super sexy?"

"Yup," I said happily for the umpteenth time. "Don't worry, Ino! We know it's a flashy place, we won't be dressed like...me at work."

"Thank goodness!" I heard the relief in her voice and pouted. "I mean, I'm SO happy you finally get paid a decent wage! Now you can improve your wardrobe for the better and...CAN I HELP YOU?"

"Uh...TenTen's not here and you're not on speaker. But sure, you can help me!"

"Are you nuts? I hate shopping! Why do you think I buy all my clothes a few times in a year?"

"I like shopping!" I insisted. "And you have great taste!"

"Well...if you put it like that," I heard the smugness in her voice. "Okay,"

"Great! Let's meet in an hour?"

"What? Oh, you mean at the club?" she laughed. "Yeah, tell the others and...help them."

****

I sighed happily. My new dress was so pretty! And not too expensive, either! Thankfully, TenTen had put me in charge of her outfit and Hinata had good taste anyway.

My dress was a plain scarlet empire-waisted, knee-length piece, with noodle straps. There was a thin pink belt tightening the dress under my bust, where the dress flared out from. It had no designs and was a cute party dress, perfect for the occasion.

TenTen didn't want a dress, so I got her a pale pink, satin long shirt and tight fitting chocolate slacks. Dressy enough for Ino and comfy enough for the manly-one.

Hinata looked adorable in an off-white dress with sleeves that reached her elbow, and a hem that teased her knees. It was patterned with little orange and blue spirals that seemed to give the dress a retro feel and made it even cuter.

Ino was a bombshell! A tight sky-blue mini-dress that reached mid-thigh and had a netted portion which closed in a sort of turtleneck around her pale throat, showed off her slim figure and height. To make up for the dress' shortness, her legs were covered with thick, peach stockings.

Thankfully, all our efforts had payed off and we had been approached by several cute guys. TenTen tried dancing with one of them after we forced her, but within minutes the poor guy was moaning in pain. Even with lots of space between them, she'd stomped his feet throughout. Now she was sitting with Hinata at the bar, because in the middle of the innocent girl's dance with a not-so-innocent guy, his hand crept onto her butt and squeezed.

Thankfully TenTen saw him and...well, he wasn't partying anymore. Ino had danced with a few guys, but they tried groping her too and she walked off. I had been dancing with this cute brunette for sometime, when out of nowhere another guy popped up behind me and tried to do a threesome dance. It was all pretty innocent, no touching, so I closed my eyes and kept dancing. I heard some scuffling and mumbling behind me, but I passed it off as a tiff over _moi_. I did look pretty good...

"What are you doing here, Haruno?" a deep voice broke into my happy reverie and I turned around. I was dancing alone, and staring at me through narrowed eyes was none other than Uchiha Sasuke.

"What the-! Where are..um..those guys?" I exclaimed, forgetting their names, looking around. "And what are you doing here?"

"If you mean the clowns that were flailing their arms around you, they had to leave." he stated, soft colour highlighting his cheekbones.

"Oh," I was disappointed. "Why didn't they tell me they didn't _want_ to dance with me? I would have left them alone..."

"It's-" he started, but was interrupted by a loud shout.

"Oye teme, what's keeping yo...SAKURA-CHAN?"

I looked around for the source of the voice calling my name. I came face-to-face with a smiling face with whisker marks on both cheeks and a shock of blonde hair tumbling into electric blue eyes.

"NARUTO?"

****

**I love Naruto! Isn't he the cutest? But um, random-ass chappie, eh?**

**Oh, and btw, I know it was extremely vague when Sakura was dancing with those guys and they disappeared when Sasuke came. the scuffling and mumbling was Sasuke telling them to screw off and get away from the rosette...teehee! Jealousy attack!**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing, everyone! Love you guys!**


	7. Kindergarten Reunion

**Still not even halfway through. Jsut editing and editing...ugh. I hate both Sasuke and Sakura anyway, but this plotline fit them so well :(**

**I wanna watch my shows but I can't cuz I'm busy fixing stupid errors I made and the mess FF made!**

****

_"NARUTO?"_

"It _is_ you!" he laughed and glomped me. "I'd know that hair anywhere!"

"Duh, you idiot! I'm the only person in the world with natural pink hair!" I returned the hug.

"Er...Haruno-" Sasuke tried butting in but we ignored him.

"I never thought we'd meet again after so long, Sakura-chan! Isn't this great?" he said while hugging me.

"Yeah!" I was ecstatic at meeting the crazed blonde. "OMG! You won't guess who's here!" we said in unison and laughed.

"Come with me, you have to meet these guys!" I told him excitedly. He nodded happily and followed.

We walked to the table where Ino was nursing her sore feet and Hinata was sipping a cocktail with TenTen, who had ordered a beer, lost in conversation.

"Look who's here, guys!" I shouted as I presented Naruto to the group. Ino looked up tiredly and face lit up.

"Oh shite!" Ino jumped up and tugged Naruto's hands. "Ramen-boy?"

"Psycho-girl?" Naruto replied, as excited as her. She smacked him.

"It's _psychic_, dumbass!" she shook him. "Mind-reader?"

"Oh, right. Sorry, Ino-chan!" he laughed and his attention was diverted by Hinata's excessive shivering and blushing. "Nooo waayy...Hinata too? How've you been?"

She fainted and TenTen grabbed her before she fell off her stool. Naruto looked worried and surprised but he was too happy to be too scared.

"She still does that, huh?" he asked Ino who smirked. TenTen looked angry.

"Who the hell is this knucklehead?" she demanded.

"Oh, sorry Ten-chan," I apologized. "He was in our grade at school, back when we were kids!"

"Yeah! I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" the blonde idiot shouted, thumbs up. Receiving no response from Tenten, he quickly maneuvered the convo to me, "...SO Sakura-chan! What are you doing now?"

"I'm working at the Uchiha Corp!" I squealed. "I'm the secretary of the main head of the business, but-" I looked around and leaned forward to whisper conspiratorily in his ear, "-he's a jerk." The blond snickered.

"Is this boss dude named Uchiha Sasuke?" he asked. "Coz _he's_ an asshole."

"Dude!" I gestured for him to zip it. "He's _right there_." A fact I myself had just noticed.

"I know, big deal." he grinned and flipped off the unsuspecting brunette who rolled his eyes and muttered a dirty word.

"Me and him go way back!" he now had his arm around my struggling boss. "We've hated each other since we met coz he was the topper of the class, remember bitch?"

"Of course I remember," he smirked and spoke for the first time since intruding on our reunion. "How do you know him, Haruno?"

"Eh? Oh...didn't you hear me tell TenTen?" I asked. He'd been there THE WHOLE TIME, how could he NOT hear!

"Why would you befriend this moron?" he asked, apparently rephrasing his previous query.

"He's Naruto, that's why! Why did you?" I countered. He didn't reply. "Anyway, this is Ino, TenTen and Hinata. Guys, this is my boss."

Ino raised her eyebrow, Hinata hid behind Ino and TenTen folded her arms across her chest. "Hey," the said in unison.

"Nice to meet you." he said politely, but I could see it wasn't "nice" to meet my friends.

"Naruto, you here alone?" Ino asked, standing up and dragging the now-concious Hinata with her.

"No, I almost forgot! I think we're gonna have a reunion." he smirked and motioned for us to follow.

We walked across the club and entered the lounge area reserved for VIPs. Naruto led us to a secluded room and stopped.

"TA-DA!" he yelled before pulling aside a curtain a shoving us inside.

"What the heck, Naruto?" a man who appeared to be sleeping groaned as the whisker-faced man slapped his butt.

"Shikamaru, Shino, Neji...guess who's here!" he shouted happily.

Slowly, the said men looked at us. I wasn't sure about one, who had dark glasses covering his eyes...

"Oh my goodness, SHIKA!" Ino screamed and dove at the pineapple haired sleeping man who groaned in pain. "It's been so long!"

"Hello Shino-kun, Nii-san..." Hinata greeted softly and there was a sudden, unsettling silence in the room.

"Who's your brother?" TenTen asked. "The googly-goggle one? Or the one with the pony? The one with eyes like yours who's glaring at me?"

"..." we sweatdropped as she answered her own question.

"So!" I looked around, hoping a topic change would cover up for the loudmouthed brunette. "It really _is_ like a reunion here, huh!"

"Yeah, except we don't know him." Bun-head pointed at the Hyuuga, who blinked.

"That's just Neji!" Naruto shouted. He introduced us all in turn and within minutes everyone was chatting amiably.

Ino was sitting between Shikamaru, her childhood friend and Shino, Hinata's childhood bud. Everyone had grown up and done pretty well for themselves.

Shikamaru was a private investigator, a fairly succesful one at that. He worked with Ino's father and was known for being the laziest, but smartest person in the entire village! He steered clear of women, something we always made fun of because we knew what his mother was like.

Naruto, whose ambition was to be Hokage (the name we called the Sheriff or Mayor of Konoha, our village) as a child, was in the running for the title. He had done _something _big and enormously successful, which resulted in him becoming a millionaire (like Uchiha and Hyuuga Corp.'s owners) and he re-opened the school we went to as children and was currently working on the building and infrastructure of the whole place. "Still need teachers and janitors and lunch-ladies...I think I need an entire staff! I'm in way over my head!" I remembered him moaning.

Shino was a bug-scientist. I forgot the techinical term, so I call him that. What was "cool" about his job, however, was that he was internationally renown for his work.

I found Shino a bore, but I knew Ino would love talking to him. She loved the intellectual types. Hinata went for the nice-guys, which I have never really seen proven, except that she's always had the hugest crush on Naruto. That was a recent revelation for me, because when we were younger I didn't know Hina-chan all that well, so I didn't really know about her "secret" crush.

TenTen's kind of guy...now THAT was a real brainer. She seemed to dislike all guys, except Lee and Gai-sensei, both of whom were bushy-browed freaks.

Hmm?

Ah...

EW!

****

**Hehe! Okay, I know that was a bit mean to Gai and Lee, but come on...just imagine TenTen's taste in guys being THAT...ahem, Manly. ;) Don't get me wrong, I think Gai's plenty hot and Lee is adorable...it's just that Neji is sooo much hotter, ne?**

**I hope this chapter wasn't too big a disappointment for ya'll? I really wanted to make it a bit less filler-ish, but it turned out similar to the 3rd chappie, huh? Gomen! R&R please!**

**PS; I have, like, the MOST awesome idea for this series...like, WOOT. Like, OMG. Yeah, THAT awesome!**

**PPS: Sorry for the lack of length! And corny-goodness! PLEASE review, critique is welcome! :)**


	8. Of Parties, Booze & Inevitable Hangovers

**I'm getting ahead! Chap-8 already! Just 12 more to go! ...woot :(**

**Disclaimer: **Don't own nothing!

****

"So...Sakura-chan! How've you been?" Naruto grinned at me, his usual toothy grin. He was always so happy, it got pretty tiring and irritating to try and match his enthusiasm all the time.

"I have been good. No, bad. Yeah, pretty bad." I sipped my sparkly cocktail which TenTen had got for me. She was sitting silently next to Hinata's cousin, Neji. I shuddered, remembering him to be quite the Ice-Prince(ss!). Eep! He was glaring at me!

"Bad? Wow, what happened? You always seemed the happy-go-lucky type to me." Naruto looked confused.

"Remember when my dad passed away?" I asked and he nodded slowly. "Times were hard, eh? Then mum got sick and that whole mess with our finances left us with quite a few debts. So money's been a bit hard to come by." I explained.

"Sakura-chan, if you need money I'd gladly give you some!" Naruto exclaimed. I smiled.

"That's sweet of you, but no. If I took that money, it'd be just another debt for me to pay and I don't want that."

"I won't lend you the money, I'll give it-"

"Oh, that's even worse!" He looked surprised. "I'm not a charity-case, Naruto! I want to work my debts off...you understand, right?"

He smiled, "You bet I do! I'm behind you, supporting you all the way, Sakura-chan"

"That's nice, thanks. This is a night for me to kick back and relax, so no more depressing talks." I shook my head. "Pour me another drink, will ya?"

We laughed and drunk ourselves silly. I knew it'd be hell to pay in the morning, but hey - it was the weekend and my first night of fun in years. I was willing to pay that price.

I drank until I could drink no more, all thoughts of debts, family and SASUKE forgotten with each burning gulp of the fiery liquor.

****

"Oooh, this is NOT worth it!"

My head hurt, it pounded and wouldn't stop wobbling. My eyes refused to focus, which made the throbbing much worse. I didn't recollect how I'd reached home and when. My phone beeped noisily and I cringed, grabbing it and flipping it open to stop the noise.

_I feel like shit. You better feel the same or I'll assume you tried to get me drunk last night to take advantage of me._

_This is Naruto, btw. You gave me your number, I'm not a stalker!_

_**... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**_

_Ugh! I am too, believe me, if the world doesn't stop spinning I may just spend my lovely weekend cleaning up puke from my entire apartment. I curse that sparkly drink._

_I know and yes. Of course you're not, :P_

_**... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**_

_MWAHAHA! I'm happy that you're as miserable as me! I'm happy it's Saturday. No work today. You seem like you don't believe me though..._

_Hey, you sure you don't wanna be a teacher at my school?_

_**... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**_

_Yes. Now go away. My saturday's meant to be spent in solitute and silence. -_- Zzzzz_

_**... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**_

_You spelt 'solitude' wrong. Meh._

****

"Still hungover, Haruno?" Uchiha smirked.

"No, but why do you seem happy about me being in such pain?" I whined.

"Well, I normally wouldn't be, but when I tried to get you away from alchohol, you so sweetly said, and I quote: Buzz off Bozo, it'z my boozing night and you iz in my face and - I am so confumbled?" I marvelled at his ability to keep a straight face. "I think the 'confumbled' part was best."

"I dislike direct quotes. Parroting is annoying when people other than I do it." I buried my face in my hands.

"Hey, hey get back to work. You should drink less. I swear you cleaned out the entire lounge." he muttered and walked back into his sanctuary.

Sticking my tongue out at his retreating back, I sighed and turned back to the work at hand. Why was it that the one day I was incapable of doing it, I got shitloads of paperwork? Slowly picking my way through the bills, proposals and letters, I leaned back exhausted. There was still a little work left, but I didn't feel like doing it. Making my way to my boss' office, I knocked once and entered. He looked up when I entered and I noticed him trying to cover up a smug smile.

"Can I go on a coffee break? I'll get you some back, if you want." I asked, wearily rubbing my eyes with one hand, my reading glasses left forgotten on the top of the pile of letters on my desk.

"Fine. I'd like one cube of sugar and lots of cream." He turned back to his work. I blinked, nodded and left wordlessly.

Returning with my drink, I sat on one of the many soft, cushy couch in the lounge by my desk, sipping my black coffee thoughtfully. It was strange that I knew the same people as my boss, despite us being from different social classes. One of my best friends from childhood, was the best friend of my boss'. All my childhood friends were friends with my current friends and my BOSS! No matter how many times I repeated it in my head, it had the feeling of being unreal.

"Ah, whatever! It's just my boss, big deal." I sat up, nearly spilling my coffee, shaking my head. "It won't make a difference if we meet each other out of work hours! We work overtime sometimes!" I tipped the remaining dregs of the strong black liquid down my throat and licked my lips. Not exactly tasty, but strong.

"Yes, well, those overtime hours won't be nearly as _pleasant_ if they consist of you talking to yourself and not doing what I told you to."

I jumped at the sudden intrusion. As I expected, with my crappy Loser's Luck as we called it, it was the very object of my thoughts. Err...spoken-out-loud thoughts.

"Sorry?" I blushed. What the heck was he talking about?

"My coffee. It's been over 20 minutes, and now I'm craving it. Where is it?" he furrowed his brow and crossed his arms, looking - to my utter amazement - like a spoiled child.

"OH! Sorry!" I jumped up and bowed. Running off to the mini-kitchen where we kept snacks and other utensils, I began making a second cup of coffee as I watched him sigh and walk back into his office.

"So freakin' cuutte..." I cooed under my breath and caught myself.

WHAT ONE EARTH WAS I THINKING? Uchiha Sasuke was NOT cute. Hot perhaps, but innocently cute? Not a chance in hell!

I didn't seem to have provided a very convincing argument to my inner self because I was still smiling like an idiot as I replayed his pout over and over in my head.

****

**Hehe. Random chappie, eh? Wait, I kind of liked it =P**

**PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEAASEE review! Remember, one of my many sources of nutrition...Woo Woo! See yaa! =D**


	9. The Stupid Things I Do That Reward Me

**Work, work and more work. And I still have to complete my Biology project later. Oh, joy.**

**Do read on, and don't let me ruin your mood :) LOL!**

****

"Haruno, could you bring me some coffee, please?" That voice came from the inner sanctum again.

"Hai!" I called back and grudgingly got to my feet. Today was not the best of days for me, and he'd been making me brew the coffee for him ever since I offered to the other day. Usually a coffee-girl on the top floor would bring him his rich-people mix.

Dragging myself around the tiny kitchen, I managed to make a potful, and went to give him his damned cream coffee.

"Here you- WHOA!" Unfortunately, the person "whoa-ing" was me. Catching my foot on the edge of the rug, I fell on my boss. To make matters worse, he was drenched in coffee.

But...he was holding me so close! Almost hugging me!

And he was soaked in coffee.

He smelt and felt so good...

He was probably burning up!

"I am so sorry, Uchiha-san!" I leaned away from his body, but his hands still loosely clasped my hips. "I-I'm so clumsy, I-"

"Are you okay?" He interrupted, staring into my eyes. My throat went dry. "You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

Dumbly, I shook my head, unable to look away. I never knew just how _**black**_ Sasuke's eyes were. They glittered like brightly polished onyx stones. There was a tension between us, so strong I could barely breathe.

"I-I'm so-" My mind wouldn't allow me to formulate words. All I wanted to do was _kiss_ the man holding me in his arms at that moment. The moment the thought entered my mind, I banished it. Sure my body burned where he touched and I was all...squiggly in the tummy and my insides felt strange, but that was NORMAL when a gorgeous man was holding you like Sasuke was holding me right then.

"Thank you for catching me," I finally said and his arms loosened their grip and slid into his pockets. "I'm so bloody stupid, forgive me. I'm not feeling so good today." I laughed, hoping to dispell the tense atmosphere still surrounding us. I breathed heavily and managed a fake smile.

"Yes," was all he said and then the spell was really broken. The smile disappeared too.

"Huh?" I was so confused as to the meaning of his blunt little yes. "Um, I'll get you a towel, and-"

"I have a change of clothes here. Just get me some more coffee I guess." he began unbuttoning his shirt on his way to the private bathroom in the room as I closed the door.

Making a second pot with trembling hands was tough, but somehow, I managed it just fine. I kept feeling dizzy, the onslaught of his proximity was so strong. I knocked and entered the room I'd just left and the blood rushed to my face. I didn't know if it was the wrong time or right. How would you classify catching your boss in the act of zipping up his pants, topless?

"Ah, Haruno, sit down would you?" he spoke calmly even though I'd just caught him in a state of undress. "I've got to talk to you about your raise."

"A raise? What for?" It was hard to keep the excitement out of my voice. For two reasons

"Well, you work well. Mostly quiet, not that annoying and you do all your work very well. Besides, I heard that you're hard-pressed for cash, so I decided to give you a raise." My smile disappeared. My fists clenched in anger. He had that insolent look about him, which further added fuel to the fire.

"Excuse me?" I was furious. "I do not need this money. I do no need your pity. And I most certainly do not need you butting into my life and eavesdropping on private conversations, Uchiha-san." I was out of line for speaking so rudely to my boss, but I couldn't help it. He was out of line too. "I'd like to go home now. Please keep your money and your nose out of my life, I'd appreciate it very much."

The tears welled up in my eyes and before I could make my escape, some dropped from my lids and he saw them. He must not like girls crying, because his lips and fists tightened and he made a move towards me. I couldn't face him anymore, I had to go. My lungs were closing up and I needed to GET OUT. So I turned and ran. Skipping the elevator, I ran down the stairs avoiding the stares I got from the janitors and other handymen and I ran with all I had out into the rain. I was soaked, but I didn't care. My house was six blocks from work. Cabs were a luxury and an unneccessary commodity at such a time.

I ran the six blocks home in the pouring rain and when I got home I stripped and quickly threw all my clothes in the wash. It was not until I was halfway through my shower that my sobs finally broke through.

****

_Sasuke was furious with himself. He knew he shouldn't have told her about overhearing her conversation with Naruto. The moment he'd mentioned it, her mood had changed completely. A myriad of emotions ran across her face but the most blatant one was the hurt. Her tears were the worst part. He's never have thought she was the type to cry so easily, but he supposed she had her reasons. Whatever they were, he hated them because the sight of her tears made his chest ache._

_Sasuke slammed his fist into the large oak table and cursed. He should be running after her to apologize, not wallowing in self-pity! So he ran, and as he did, he noticed her purse and jacket still lying on her table. Snatching them on his way out, he was accosted by several workers greeting him and enquiring about his health, delaying him._

_Knowing her address was the the result of a drunken night some fortnights ago. Ignoring the rain and his car, he ran all the way behind her, fervently praying she wouldn't do something stupid._

****

It was stupid, but hearing Sasuke talk about my financial status triggered this series of flashbacks. I remembered how suddenly dad died and how sick mum had become. The pain rushed in all at once and all the crying I hadn't done back then was being released now. I sobbed, thinking of how hard it had been to get treatment for my mother at the low wages I got as an intern. It had been difficult for me to give up my dreams, but small-town hospitals dodn't pay so well. The work at Uchiha Corp was easy and paid well, but it had been too late by then. Mother could not be cured...atleast I was able to provide a decent funeral.

Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had - in my PMSing mood - over-reacted. He must have been so confused, my reaction was crazily psychotic! I groaned as I remembered the things I said.

Stumbling out of the shower, I rubbed my hair vigorously in an attempt to dry up the excess water. Satisfied that I would not die of pneumonia, I wrapped myself in my towel and stood stock still in the middle of my cramped apartment. I stared blankly into space, most of my tears gone. I didn't know what to do, I had just insulted my boss and run out of work without permission and had most likely got myself fired.

I became vaguely aware of a loud banging sound but ignored it. I had just stepped in front of the main door, when it burst open and I was finally aware of my surroundings again. For the one person who could jar my senses like no other was standing in my open doorway.

"W-what are you doing here?"

****

**CLIFFHANGER! (Dun dun duuuun) Hahah! The drama was kinda gay, eh? I doubt I'll ever get paid to write, lol! ^_^**

**BUT enough talk for now - gots to go fix them other chappies! **

**Review please, you'll make my day SO much better! ^_^**


	10. Falling For A Jerk Is Hard

**This chapter is awfully corny and stuff, but I think I like teensy doses of dramatic bits! It's a bit sad; not only because of Sakura crying (ehm...not sad for ME), but also my SAD attempts at humour.** **Sometimes I fail oh-so-hard. But hopefully, you don't mind =D**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Naruto_. Which reminds me, I haven't read the latest chapter yet! *gasp*

****

"Sak-Haruno, are you okay?" was the first thing he said to me.

We stared at each other in silence. His change of clothes had been useless because the rain had got him too. He still managed to look arrogant and hot. Suddenly, I remembered...I was wearing only a towel. I stood up blushing, apparently he had noticed my attire as well, for he turned a shade of red I hadn't seen him turn before and held up a hand to cover his eyes. Not much use, because there was a slight gap between his fingers.

"S-s-sorry!" He stammered, still blushing. "I was worried when you didn't reply to me so I pushed open the door and it wasn't locked and-"

"What are you doing here?" I interrupted. Not coldly or rudely...I just asked him. Curiously, I suppose. "I'm fine, by the way,"

"I'm glad," he smiled a small smile. "WHY THE HELL DID YOU RUN OUT LIKE THAT, YOU IDIOT?"

"Eh?" I shrank back, he was pretty damn loud. "I-I wanted to get out of there. I'm sorry, but YOU SHOULD BE TOO!" I yelled back.

"I was so worr-you almost got yourself fired, you harebrained fool!" he wouldn't stop with the scolding. "What if you got hit in traffic? Or caught pneumonia? What would you do, huh?"

"I said I'm sorry! Now YOU apologize!"

"What for?"

"You...you insulted me with that raise! The reason behind it, I mean."

"...really?"

I was surprised, "Uh, YES?"

"Oh. Well, I suppose I should apologize."

"I suppose you should."

"Yes."

"I'm waiting."

"...I'm sorry, Sakura." it was a whisper.

He said my name. He apologized to me, and spoke my name for the first time. My eyes widened and I'm sure I looked like an idiot standing there open-mouthedly staring. I felt my mouth try to formulate words, but it flapped soundlessly and hung in the air. He stepped forward, his hand beginning to tingle my shoulder as he spoke in concern.

"Are you alright, Haruno?" He'd reverted to my last name, but the feeling that came when he said 'Sakura' remained as a bubbly feeling in my stomach. The gentleness was too much for me in my current state of shittiness and I teared up. I tried to control them, honest, but my stupid emotions got the better of me. I didn't want to embarass myself like that; not in front of HIM!

As soon as he saw my face crumble, his brows furrowed and lips tightened like they had in the office. He stepped forward quickly and clasped his arms around me tightly. Suddenly, it was the coffee scene all over again. Except this time, the one burning up was me and it wasn't because of some darn creamy coffee. It was plain skin on skin and it felt REALLY good. His shirt was still unbuttoned and my towel was thin and short...dirty thoughts clouded my mind and dried my tears. I began to blush, because he was looking into my eyes now and it felt like he was reading my mind.

I didn't push him away. I didn't speak. We just stood there in silence, staring into each other's eyes. His arms and chest were surprisingly hard and I was tingly all over. We leaned in, or I think I did. Our faces were close, it felt like he was going to kiss me. But, as it's supposed to, thunder strikes at the most inopportune times. Being scared of thunder was something only Tenten had been cursed (blessed?) with. It was shocking, because I'd always thought the rest of were wimps, but Tenten (TENTEN!) of all people was scared of the loud rumbling sound.

Anyway, Sasuke jerked, and suddenly we weren't so close anymore. I remained still, thunder was just another noise in the background.

_Don't fall for his charms. You'll end up hurt!_

Ino's voice echoed in my head and I tried to be strong. I had laughed at them then, but now that I _knew_ what kind of person he was, Uchiha Sasuke seemed like the one. You know, the One who you wait for all your life, calling him Prince Charming because that's what fairy tales called him. The one who makes all others pale in insignificance and all that crap? Yeah, I was becoming cornier by the minute - proof that I was falling in love.

He was talking while I drooled. Commanding my brain to quit with the nude mental images and concentrate on his words was hard. I did it, though.

"...take care of yourself and stay home till Monday. Consider it to be a (paid) sick leave." he spoke grimly and kept his arms folded tightly across his front. Mine were still clutching the tiny towel in place.

"Okay," That's all I could manage without pouting about him leaving.

"Don't fall sick, don't try to come back before Monday, and Haruno-" he looked back and smiled faintly. "Don't cry."

THEN he left, managing to close the door behind him.

Slowly I walked to my bedroom and pulled a big t-shirt over my head. Falling into my creaky bed, I snuggled into the covers and twisted till I got comfortably warm. I looked out my window, thinking about the man I couldn't have. Funny how those things turned out. Made you want them more which made it harder to accept that

My body was still hot where he had touched me and I despaired that I was doing what so many others had done. I despaired that I was falling for my boss, the forbidden man that we all encounter atleast once, who causes turmoil in our lives. I feared I wasn't going to escape this hurricane unscathed, because when I fall, I fall hard.

I am such an idiot.

****

**CORNY. And abrupt. And silly. But I couldn't fix it. Too much, that is. It was too hard!**

**To save you the trouble: I hope you will forgive the crappiness and find it within yourselves to drop off an encouraging review or critique, telling me not to give up...*HINT HINT***


	11. A Welcoming Return To Work?

**So. Fixing so far is successful. I hope I have tons of readers! :D**

**This is a angry-happy-weird chapter. I really hope you like it!**

****

IT WAS FINALLY MONDAY! TIME TO GET BACK TO WORK!

It was apalling that I was happy to be back at work, but it was different for me. I was there to see him. Work was crappy and easy, but I didn't care about all that - I just wanted to see him SO bad.

After Thursday, he'd visited me to check up (for some strange reason) on Friday. He came after work and had tea with me, during which we chatted amiably. I could almost say that Sasuke was a nice guy. He was funny, in a satirical way, but not TOO mean. I found that we had many things in common and liked a lot of the same stuff. Then he'd called on Saturday and Sunday to ask me about a few trivial things about work, which had evolved into longish, fun conversations.

We were SO meant to be, so why was I cursed with being his secretary? Was I not being good enough for him?

I hopped into the elevator, humming all the way upto the Main Offices. The prospect of seeing him after so long made me excited. We got along so much better now, it was a more friendly sort of atmosphere between us. Dumping my purse and new jacket onto my desk, I straightened my tight (new!) pencil skirt and shirt and took a deep, expectant breath before doing my ritual single knock and entering the inner office.

I gasped out loud. It couldn't be helped. There I was, having the best morning I'd had in ages, excited to see Sasuke and he'd ruined it for me, like he managed to ruin so many things. Was there really no hope for him? Anger built up inside me along with disgust. The sight that I beheld was...infuriatingly gross.

The man I'd dreamed of for the past 4 nights was sitting in his chair, smirking. The girl standing directly in front of him was smiling evilly. Her skirt was hitched up till her waist, baring her frilly lace panties which were absolutely hideous. At the sound of my overly dramatic gasp, however, the duo whirled around to face the door. The girl dropped her skirt, but didn't seem the slightest bit embarassed. Sasuke, on the other hand, had the decency to look ashamed.

"Sa-Haruno, you're back." he stated lamely.

"I would presume so," I replied tightly. "Either that, or I'm having an extremely disgusting dream."

"It was nothing, she was just showing me her tattoo..." he explained and my face twisted at the repulsive thought. "I mean-" He quickly tried to alter his mistake, but I was too quick for him.

"Tattoo? Where?" Damn my stupid curiosity!

Karin smirked and wordlessly flipped her skirt up again. The first thing I noticed was the tacky tattoo of a bleeding rose on her inner thigh, still raw and puffy from the freshness. My gaze shifted to her belly ring; and a huge spike protruding from within the confines of the lacy thong. EWW! And OUCH!

"Oh, wonderful." His blush deepened at the disgust in my voice but gestured at Karin, who had some _serious_ explaining to do.

"She was just dropping in to ask for a reference letter." he said, as if trying to interest me in the topic.

"Oh, really?" I knew I was going to regret my next words. "A reference letter from an Uchiha is good enough to make you a _star _in the industry, I suppose." In the porn industry, my eyes clearly stated.

Karin's face twisted as she caught my meaning; and absently I hoped that when I had cringed, it hadn't been as revolting as hers looked. "You cocky little slut!" She screamed and I didn't flinch.

"Very creative," I drawled, referring to her insulting me. "I really wonder how you'll get by at your new job with your _biting wit._"

She looked confused for a few seconds before her brain processed my words, then she indignantly opened her mouth to speak again but I spoke before she could.

"Now, if you would excuse me, I need to go gouge my eyes out." My nose was already turning red, so I wanted to escape fast.

I turned and closed the door calmly, just as Karin began screaming and Sasuke yelled my name angrily. As soon as I heard the satisfying click of the door, I ran.

I hated him! How could I love someone like that? A cold, heartless bastard like that! A bloody womanizing playboy!

These adjectives ran through my mind as I ran to the ladies' room down the hall and locked myself in a stall to hide my crying bout. Stuffing a hanky in my mouth, I began to cry. I cried harder than I had on Thursday, which in itself was a shock. That I was beginning to let a man take over my heart, barely leaving space enough for my family!

The shock of this revelation slowed the flow of my tears and the more I thought about it, the more I realized how stupid I was being. I'd been crying way too much lately, that needed to stop. Also, I knew that there wasn't going to be a future...there wasn't going to be _anything_ between us, ever! So why was I acting like I had some right over him? Karin was a slut, but she didn't deserve to be hated SO much by me, surely? Except, of course, that she was a disgusting individul and was trying to win over Sasuke.

I shook my head and unlocked the stall. Strengthened with my new resolution, I breathed deeply, trying to stop the shuddering gasps from continuing. Quickly, I washed my face and re-applied the little make-up I wore, attempting to cover up tell-tale signs of crying.

I bumped into Karin on my way out of the bathrooms. She opened her mouth, to say something nasty I was sure, but I stopped her and spoke quietly.

"Karin, I'm sorry for freaking out. I know you hate me, and you know I dislike you." I didn't look at her. "The only reason I'm apologizing is because I don't want to let something SO silly lower me to _your_ level."

"You wrapped that up neatly, didn't you, bitch?" she smirked. "Whatever. You'll never have Sasuke, he's got some fancy socialite. Might as well give up now. See ya."

She turned to leave and I called out, "I sure hope not."

She just laughed and stalked off with the slutty attitude she'd always had. Funnily, I felt at peace. Not because we'd made peace with each other or something that corny - just because I knew that I'd never ever see that bimbo again. It was also a revelation to me that I was no longer afraid of offending her as I'd been in the past. She didn't work here anymore, she had no power - therefore, I was safe.

I took another deep breath. Time for another confrontation. I just hoped Sasuke wasn't _too_ pissed, because for me - like a yawn - anger was catching.

****

**Aw, man I suck at insulting people in my fics! In real life, I take people's asses like WHOO! I prefer to insult without profanity, makes me better than them, but also takes away a teensy bit of the punch, eh?**

**Was it bad? I think it wasn't good enough...I'm not that satisfied myself, but it's pretty okay, riiightt? I'm kinda annoyed that Sakura apologized to Karin. But I didn't know what else to do! :'( Reviews are love!**


	12. Midnight Conversations

**Thanks for coming so far into the story with me! I hope I haven't disappointed anyone yet, and that you'll keep reading!**

**Disclaimer: **Kishimoto-saaann, owns _Naruto_ and everything in it.

****

"Freakin' jerk! He didn't even bother apologizing?" Ino's furious voice was scary. "I bet he just gave you shitloads of work to do and pretended like nothing had happened!"

"Yeah, that's EXACTLY what he did!" I exclaimed. "Piggy-chan, you are truly marvellous!"

"Err...Sakura," TenTen poked me with her toe. "That chick had a clit pierce?"

"EW!" me and Ino screeched. "Don't use such filthy words, Ten-chan! That is just plain gross!"

"What? Okay, I'm sorry!" she held up her hands in mock surrender. "Forget that. Where was her tattoo, again?"

"Inner thigh," I stated and shared a look of disgust with my friends. "I know! It was waayy high up too!"

It was a late Friday night, and we were all sleeping over at Ino's house. I'd told them what had happened earlier, but they wanted explicit details, so we'd met up. Sitting around with my besties and bitching about Karin was my highlight of the week. Of course, our little hot-chocolate nightcap made it even better.

Hinata spoke up finally; I'd thought she'd fallen asleep while the rest of us had been screaming.

"So, what was the design?" she asked curiously.

"Oh yeah, the ultimate tack-tat-" I paused. "Bleeding rose."

"Tacky!" they exclaimed and I nodded in agreement. "Sheesh, ours are way better AND cooler!"

"Oh yeah, mine is like, WAY sexy!" I laughed, flashing mine, which was located in the small of my back.

Now, we all had tattoos because of this weird symbolic-friendship phase we were going through a few years ago. We'd grown out of doing silly things like that, but it never ceased to surprise me that it was Hinata who'd suggested the idea to us. My design was of an angel with black, pink, and mauve wings. The way the tattoo lady had done mine, with tiny silver and gold dots sprinkled here and there gave the impression of fairy dust.

Quite intricate, and it was the most feminine out of all of ours. That was something I was strangely proud of.

"I think that tattoos on us are out of place, we don't fit the image, do we?" Ino smiled, rolling onto her stomach. "Except TenTen, of course."

"Yeah, I guess." I murmured, lying down next to her. "Aw man, I have to see that freakin' jerk every bloody day. You guys were right, I can't handle him."

"You know, for once, I'm not glad that I'm right." TenTen stated and took a swig of chocolate milk.

"OH! I almost forgot!" Hinata squeaked when we'd been quiet for awhile. "I-I met Naruto-kun the other day."

TenTen looked annoyed. "That bloody idiot is everywhere, isn't he?"

"Naruto? You don't like him? He's a handful but he's such a nice guy, you can't stay mad at him for more than 10 minutes!" Ino sang.

"Heh! She's not pissed about Naruto," Hinata giggled. "He was with Neji-niisan, so she has had to meet him often. She doesn't really like nii-san."

"Well, I don't blame you," Ino sat up. "He's a jerk. But he really took care of Hina when she was little."

"Yeah, he was only nice to her." I agreed. "Oh, sorry! Hinata, you were telling us about Naruto!"

The Hyuuga blushed and stammered, "I-I met him a-and he bought me a dr-drink and took a sip f-from the same straw."

We waited for more, but apparently that was the end of her fairy tale. I prompted her, "...and?"

"We've been meeting a lot lately," her stammer disappeared again. "And I think that he may someday, return my feelings."

"Aww," I cooed. "Hinata, that's great! I'm so happy for you! Keep this up and you may even get lucky."

She blushed uncomfortably at my wink. "Thanks, Sakura-chan. I love spending time with him...you know, I've never forgotten about him. All these years, he's been in my mind. He was the one who inspired my tattoo."

I was jealous, but more happy. Hinata deserved to be this happy and I shouldn't be feeling even a slight pinch of envy!

"Ah, now that we're talking guys..." Ino spoke softly from her spot beside her pillow. "I-I think I really, _really_ like Shino."

"SHINO?" I exclaimed at the same time as Hinata. "I _knew it_! I knew you'd be attracted towards him! Are you really sure of your feelings, though?"

"Mmhm," she nodded, her face buried in the pillow, her ears red. "He's been by the flower-shop very often, conducting small experiments with rare bugs and my flowers...their pollen, I mean."

"Eh, Ino?" TenTen spoke. "We don't really care about the pollen. YOU'RE serious about someone? I'm happy!"

"Well, it's the first time I've ever felt this way about anyone, but don't make it sound like I'M a picky slut!" Ino cried. "Oooh, just seeing him makes my pulse race and it's like I'm high, that's how happy I feel! It's a bonus that he's not a hump-and-dump-guy."

Hinata grimaced, "He is most definitely NOT so shallow! Should I ask him how he feels about you?"

Ino bounced up. "NO! You can't! Maybe hint a little? But what if he thinks I'm desperate? No, definitely don't tell him. Though, if you do, don't make it seem like I'M totally nuts about him, okay?"

"Make up your mind, dumbass!" I laughed. "It sucks that we're so pathetically single, ne? Has anyone here ever dated? Or even got to first base?"

Looking around the silent, blushing room, I didn't need a verbal reply. As all of us sighed in unison, Hinata whispered, "I think _we_ deserve to be happily in love..."

Nodding in complete agreement, I noticed TenTen's jaw clench out of the corner of my eye. _Could she be feeling the same way about someone?_ I shook my head. _No way! TenTen doesn't like many men. She may be bubbly and friendly, but she's not too open to relationships as far as I know. Or does she agree...? Like...Oh. My. God! Okay, her wedding dress will be an ivory raw silk material..._

"...I love his seriousness, and the way he looks at me when he's explaining something...aiii!" Ino squealed into her pillow and I snapped to attention. Everyone seemed to be falling in love, it seemed, but very few were actually lucky enough to have that love returned. The more I thought about, the more it hurt when I realized that I was one of those unlucky ones.

****

**I sucked at the tattoo description scene, huh? But I kinda like how it sounds. Isn't it weird that they all have ink too? LOL.**

**Do R&R please? :)**


	13. Hormones In The Workplace: Uh Oh?

**Only seven more chaps left! AAAHHH OMG!**

**Disclaimer: **Eff yoouu, I don't own nothing!

****

"So you're in charge of it all, Haruno."

I nodded and turned to march out of his office. Things were strained between us; we hadn't spoken since I'd walked in on Karin's little striptease. I was still a bit jumpy around him, he still had that aura that made me oh-so-aware of him, but I was SO angry with him that I maintained a cold exterior around the raven-haired hottie. Or tried to, atleast.

A feeling that had been tugging at me since I saw his interest in Karin's fugly tat, was to rip open my blouse and flash him my ink. _That_ would show him! The REAL sexy tattoo! As I sat in my little bubble, I zoned out and was brought back to conciousness by a grunting Uchiha. Make that a throat-clearing Uchiha.

"Do you need something?" I asked, blankly. I was sure I was drooling a teensy bit.

"Ahem. Here's a cheque. You have to look suitable for the gala, so accept this from the office." He handed me a cheque and I smiled at the squiggly writing.

"I'll consider it as the bonus you mentioned earlier, sir!" I bowed as I received it. "I don't want to mooch off the company, thank you very much. Anything else?" I added, a bit snarkily.

"Er, no. You can continue checking those names for the guest list." He turned to go but paused for a moment, "You're the first secretary out of the nine I've had, to take it out of your bonus."

"...I'm sorry?" What did he want me to say? Was it even a good thing? Did he not like the independant types?

...Take it OUT of the bonus? Did that mean that the sum mentioned in the check was PART of my bonus?

His confused expression and eye-rolling did not give me much help with figuring that out.

"The ball has to be held in one week, be sure you buy your clothes and make all the arrangement quickly." He paused and turned around. "To clarify: Yes, it is a formal event."

I laughed, "I'm not _that _stupid! I knew that!"

"Hn. Could you bring me some coff-" he stopped short. I blushed. "Scratch that,"

"It's alright! It will be ready in 10 mins!" I sang and trotted off to the kitchen, aware of his piercing gaze on my back; unaware that his thoughts at the moment were far from innocent.

"Which idiot fucked with my kitchen arrangement?" I was scowling. The tea, coffee and sugar were all together on the middle shelf - that was MY arrangement. But now, the coffee was on the topmost shelf and the sugar had disappeared. Sure I was tall, but not seven bloody feet tall!

I stood on tiptoe and tottered as my waving hands kept knocking me off balance. I would have grabbed a stool, but they all had plush cushioning and I had tacky stilletoes. I felt my shirt untuck itself as I stretched higher, pulling my skirt up with me. I refused to stack up magazines and books even though I was sorely tempted to, because Hinata had instilled a respect for books in me.

Then it hit me. Climb onto the counter!

Kicking off my heels, I hitched up my skirt _really_ high and scrambled onto the marble counter. Reaching up while kneeling, I could feel a soft draft on my back, and triumphantly I felt my fingers graze the coffee jar ever so slightly. Hope renewed, I stretched again and a sudden, unexpected wave of heat hit me.

Immediately, I knew who was the cause of it. A certain raven-haired man's hand slid over mine, easily grabbed the accursed jar and slid his arm back down, trailing it over the thin cotton of my shirt. Sasuke was close...so close...I could feel his hard chest pressing against my back lightly, the heat radiating from both of us making me breathe heavily. The scent of aftershave filled my nose as I tilted my face to the right and slowly closed my eyes.

He wasn't moving. He'd set the pot down on the table but remained in the same position. I was getting damn...hot.

Resolving to put an end to my inner torture, I turned quickly. Too quickly, I discovered, because since the counter was not that wide, it resulted in me slipping. Did I regret falling into his arms and having his lips softly graze my cheek? I wasn't sure. All I knew was that the moment lasted forever. The marble tableteop bit into my back, but I didn't care. One of my leps was loosely wrapped around his hips and the other was stuck in a funny angle _somewhere_. My eyes were still shut and my fists had tightened around his shoulders. My "humble bosom" was heaving, bumping into his chest every now and then.

I was aware of my surroundings; unaware of my bearings.

"Haruno..." he whispered. I tried to reply but couldn't bring myself to speak. He was looking down at me and I peered back through heavy-lidded eyes. Slowly I licked my lips, and then it was all over. Before setting me down properly, I could have SWORN I felt his fingers brush over my lips softly. They tingled, but I couldn't be certain it had even happened.

"...Could you hurry up with the damned coffee?"

****

_Why did she have the power to do that to him? She was a bespectacled, rod-thin secretary with no sense of style and no special attributes to speak of! She was the most plain woman he'd ever had the misfortune of being troubled with. Why did she enter his thoughts so often?_

It was the damned coffee's fault! It always made him lose control around the rosette, which muddled up his mind and irritated him. He'd been patiently waiting for his coffee while the minutes ticked by and all he could hear were muffled cusses from the kitchen, he decided to investigate. He expected his clutzy secretary to be having trouble. What he _didn't_ expect was finding her squatting, shoeless, on his office kitchen-counter. It was the first time he'd seen her letting loose; apart from the time in the club. Her pink bun was missing it's usual sleekness and her shirt was crumpled and untucked. Her back, he'd discovered, was extremely sexy, and had a mark on it. He wasn't sure what it was, her shirt moved and covered it from his view. Of course she couldn't leave it at that - she had hitched her skirt almost to her hips and gave the impression of her straddling something...a thought he found awfully arousing.

Without thinking he'd stalked over silently and grabbed the jar himself, planning to scold her mockingly. Things didn't always go according to plan when Sakura was concerned. He'd mistakenly smelt her hair and lost his train of thought when she had gasped. Touching her like he had would probably be considered molestation in the workplace, but he was too far gone to consider such a thing. He set down the coffee mix before he (or she) foolishly dropped it. Then she'd leaned back unconciously into his front and made him nervous - lower down, there was a painful(ly obvious) problem. She didn't seem so oblivious to sexual tension anymore.

Sakura had then halted his train of thought by whipping around in a second and losing her balance. He didn't complain, because she'd fallen face-first into _his_ face. Her cheeks were so soft...like..._like plump, firm tomatoes, yeah_! Sakura's arms flew around his shoulders and held on tight; one leg wrapping around his waist, unconciously drawing them closer. The blood rushed to his head and to his...*ahem* and he leaned in. Her tongue trailed tauntingly over her lush lips, and he wanted to take her, right then and there in the tiny office kitchenette. Realizing that his thoughts concerning his secretary were WRONG - like he would be taking advantage of her - he let her go. It was PURELY ACCIDENTAL that his fingers felt compelled to touch what his lips had almost captured...not.

Quietly reprimanding her for her delay, he had rushed back to his office. His pants were _too_ tight. If it wasn't smashing his only chance at propagating future mini-Uchiha, he would have gladly punched himself in the hala-hala to relieve himself of his very, very straining problem.

****

_Stupid, arrogant jerk!_ I was still fuming. If there was one thing I absolutely couldn't stand about him, it was how he drove me to the edge and stranded me on a cliff. His touch and motions were all incomplete! He turned me on, but didn't DO _anything_ else. Stupid, overprotective, gorgeous BOSS!

_WHY DOESN'T HE LIKE ME?_

_Oh..._

I found out the answer to that almost immediately. Next to the coffee, was where the office kept a small stack of newspapers. On top of the pile, a newspaper with the page opened to the gossip columns - Fate's minions at work - I discovered a picture of him with his girlfriend

...Sasuke's girlfriend.

Karin wasn't lying. The man I love is dating a gorgeous socialite. She's shorter, bustier, cuter and way more fashionable than me. Why am I not surprised?

****

**I quite liked the random horniness in this chapter, but the ending was...meh. I'm such a drama queen. I just HAVE to add all these unneccessary elements that are SO used and worn out and...so loved. Come on, you know you love the Old School Romance, minus the crappy endearments (I mean seriously, I would choke on my own saliva if a guy called me 'darling' - not only because the word is so UGH, but also because A GUY IS CALLING ME "DARLING" WTF?)**

**Aaaahh, this chapter made me sooo excited! In a romantic way! .**


	14. Killing Time, Filling Time

**Not a very exciting chapter...kinda like a behind-the-scenes sort of thing. LOL yeap, another filler.**

**Disclaimer: **I am not Kishimoto Masashi, therefore I don't own _Naruto._

****

It had been two whole days since I'd discovered his secret (or was I just living under a rock?) girlfriend. I still wasn't over it. I wanted to bash her perfect face in. I wanted to yank off the arm that coiled around his. I wanted him to realize how wrong she was for him. I bet she was a skanky gold-digger who was just using the Uchiha heir, and was really mean to everyone, except her "girlfriends".

Truthfully, I wanted to be that pretty, so he would like me too and put his arm around my waist like he did to her and...maybe she was nicer than me, nice enough to deal with my arrogant boss and his temper tantrums...her smile seemed angelic enough. Jumping to conclusions was useless, I didn't know her and never would.

The pair had been sighted together at several functions, so the papparazzi suspected it was official and serious. I suspected him to be a playboy, which many (MANY) incidents and loads of information had proven, but if he liked this girl enough to go steady with her, she probably made him happy. If he was contented, I guess I could be too, because on the rare occasions that I had seen him smile, Ifelt happy.

"Sakura! You listening?" Ino screeched and I snapped out of my depressed daze, nodding violently. "Gawd, woman quit moping! Anyway, Shino's coming to the shop AGAIN today, said he wanted to ask me something, so I'm really excited!"

"...so?" I was bored. "He comes to the shop all the time, Ino. Remember you told me that you smelt his neck when he bent down? Your hands touched once, too. Why do you keep talking about him?"

"UH, EX-CUSE ME!" she said loudly. "You're the one who invited me over to TALK ABOUT HIM. _Ino, what's up with you and Shino? OMG, NO WAY! Wanna come over and talk about it?_" She mimicked me.

"Sorry, I'm really out of it." I replied, exhausted.

TenTen had been asked to the ball by Hyuuga Neji. I heard Hinata had pushed the mushy buttons on her brother and coerced him into asking TenTen. She had tried to refuse but Hinata, Naruto, Ino _and_ I had pressured her into it. So she was coming.

Unfortuantely, Hinata and Ino were attending a wedding in the countryside. Since the groom was from Suna-gakure and the bride from Konoha-gakure, the wedding was being held in the valley between the two villages. I was jealous, I wanted to go too, but I barely knew either side. They had already left, a few days before, to help with wedding preparations and visiting family.

"Sakura!" TenTen screamed from the door. "I got a freakin' package in the mail! Come here, now!"

"What is it?" I walked in, the tension from the upcoming party draining me of my normal enthusiasm. "Open it fast, I gotta go to work in an hour for special-"

"IT's FROM NEJI!" she screamed. I raised my eyebrow. Neji? TenTen could only be described as ballistic. "I wonder what it is!"

"Whoa! Down there, doggy." Ino sneered and snatched away the package before TenTen could ruin it with her drool.

"HEY! Neji sent that for me! It's mine!"

"Oooh, someone's excited to get a gift from _Neji_," Ino raised her eyebrow, smiling wickedly. I rolled my eyes. A juvenile middle-schooler trick like this wouldn't work on any normal 26 year old...but then again, TenTen wasn't exactly normal. She took the bait and stoutly denied it.

"It's not that! Neji's stupid, I don't care about Neji! What's so great about Neji? Huh? His eyes? No, the only thing special right now is that this is the first time I've ever received mail, much less a PACKAGE!"

I blinked, but Ino seemed to have understood the mangled and mental speech perfectly.

"Fine, you open it but I'LL take care of the goods, okay? Just so that you don't ruin it." Ino suggested, and TenTen paused.

"...Okay!"

I stared at the gift. It was gorgeous. A designer gown, no less. And the man Ten-chan so obviously liked, had chosen it for her. I felt like throwing a hissy fit.

"Nice..." Ino murmured. "Sexy, yet somehow, it's _you_."

TenTen pursed her lips and raised her eyebrow at the comment, but said nothing.

"Mmhmm...oh yeah!" the blonde turned to me excitedly. "Where's your gown? Sasuke gave you one too, right?"

I fidgeted uncomfortably, "Nope. Just gave me a bonus and a heads-up on what to expect."

"We are going to go shopping for a dress that is going to make that bastard's dick fall out of his pants!" she declared. I winced at her choice of words.

"Ew, when did you become so vulgar?" Hinata cried. Ino merely rolled her eyes.

"You're free tomorrow, right? See you at 4:00 PM. On the dot."

And there was no arguing her tone of finality. Not that I _wanted_ to.

"This is the one..." I murmured, awed at my reflection. Behind me, I saw Ino nodding her head vigourously, grinning widely. "It's gorgeous, ne?"

"I LOVE it!" she exlclaimed. "Too bad I won't be able to see you all dressed up in it...you look great, Sakura."

"Thanks," I smiled, even though I barely believed her. Friends said that stuff all the time, it was one of their many given jobs.

I'd found the gown I'd be wearing in the 4th shop we looked in. I may not be a model beauty, but clothes _can_ do wonders for a girl. Besides, a ball + a beautiful gown + a hot heir = my very own Cinderella story...atleast in my fanciful mind.

Hinata loved it and even TenTen grudgingly admitted that she was looking forward to the ball now that we both had _"such pretty outfits"_. I was excited too, but each time I thought of the ball, I remembered that I wasn't there to dance or have fun, but to organize everything and make sure nothing went wrong and so forth. No dancing with Sasuke for me. No Sasuke, period. It was strictly business between us.

Wasn't it?

****

**Urgh, I suck. This shit is lame. Sorry! Also, the part where she finds the gown is **_**supposed **_**to be non-descriptive and short and silly, because I want to describe it nicely when the time comes!**

**So thank you everyone who reviews, adds me or the story on Alert or Favourites! I love you guys! Thank you all so so soo much! ^_^**


	15. Countdown To The Ball!

**Sad to say, this is another mess. Not as bad as the previous one, but not something I'm very proud of. Atleast it's edited . Read on and tell me what you think!**

****

"Thanks so much, Chouji! I loved the samples you sent over!" I laughed over the phone. "Yeah, Naruto IS the connoisseur of food, after all...I still can't believe you've opened a branch of _Ichiraku's _in Tokyo, though. Surreal,"

I scribbled some notes down while he spoke.

"Okay, thanks! Yeah, you're definitely hired! As if I'd refuse you, Akimichi-sensei." I teased. "See you tomorrow, then? 'Kay, bye!" I cracked my neck muscles, and stretched my arms out, sighing.

"Who was that?" Sasuke suddenly appeared behind me. "You'd better not be entertaining private calls, Haru-"

"No, it was the caterer. He just happened to be an old friend and he's the chef we've hired for the ball." I replied curtly, not turning around.

"Cancel it. Change the chef." He ordered. "Get someone more...professional."

"No! Akimichi Chouji is very professional!" I whipped around, outraged. "What gives you the right to judge him? You've not even _met_ him!"

He said nothing, just raised an eyebrow and gave me a look that said, _'Do it'_.

"Alirght, you're the boss!" I said huffily. "Don't blame me if the food sucks. Poor Chouji, lost such a good opportunity..." I mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing..._asshole_," I flipped through the pages again and located his phone number and began dialing- no, _pounding_-the numbers. Behind me, I heard Sasuke shuffle back to his office, but didn't hear the satisfying click or slam I was waiting for.

"Hello? Oh Chouji-kun, I'm so sorry! Uchiha told me to find some other caterer!" I wailed. "He's such a jerk, I'm sure this was a pretty big-"

_"Don't worry, Sakura-chan."_ he laughed. _"It's not a big deal, I cater for bigger companies. Like, Byakugan Inc., Neji's (you remember him, right?) company."_

"...So you're okay? No biggie?" I asked tentatively. "I'm glad! Whew!"

"_Haha! Don't worry about it...hey, I wanted to ask you if you're still in touch with Ino. I haven't seen her since we last visited Konoha..."_ his sad voice came over the phone.

"Of course I am! Like I'd let that Pig get away from me!" We laughed.

_"Um, Sakura-chan, maybe we can meet up sometime? I miss her, even though she was pretty annoying, hehe...it's been too long since we spoke."_

"Sure, Chouji-kun! Let's see...how about tomorrow, around 2:00? I have my lunch break then, so we'll go surprise her."

_"Great, you've got my number so call me anytime. Thanks, bye!"_

"Yeah, I'll call you if anything comes up! But we're definitely meeting soon! Bye!"

I was still smiling when Sasuke turned up a second time.

"Haruno, I spoke to some people and they said Akimichi's pretty good. Hire him again, and if he refuses, offer him 10,000 yen more. So you can cancel the date tomorrow." he said, poker-faced.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not calling him again, it'll be embarassing. You can do it. Besides, Chouji's not a loser who gives in to the traps of money." I was pissed. "Also, who are you to tell me who I can and cannot meet with on MY OWN TIME?"

"Call him. It's your job." he said quietly, slight pink tinging his cheeks. "I thought you were meeting to apologize again, so I said that."

"Well, I'm not. Meeting him to apologize, that is." I quickly said when he frowned and took a step forward. "I'll call him, but he'll probably refuse." I gulped.

"If his firm isn't catering our ball, you're in trouble." With that parting line, he disappeared into the inner sanctum once again, leaving me staring after him open-mouthed.

"I can't believe I fell for that jerk." I muttered, redialing _Ichiraku's_ number for the third time. "He's so arrogant and rude and conceited, not to mention a player!"

_"Sakura-chan?"_ Chouji said as soon as he picked up the phone. _"What is it now?"_

"Uchiha wants to hire you again. He heard good reviews." I said tonelessly. "Sorry for causing you so many problems."

_"Oh now he wants me?"_ he laughed heartily. _"I'm not exactly fond of him now, but seems like you've been forced into this. So I'll do it, but only because it'll be a hassle for you otherwise."_

"REALLY? Oh thank you so much!" I jumped up. "Seriously, when we meet up, I'm treating! You're the best!"

I was a bit surprised, but Chouji had always been the most perceptive and sensitive boy I knew. When our conversation was over, I went into the main office where HE sat and smugly informed him that Chef Akimichi was hired and I didn't even need to offer the extra 10,000 yen bribe. Of course the raven haired bastard bust my bubble by just nodding and saying, "Good job."

As if I needed _his_ approval! Sure, it felt a bit good and made me blush when he looked at me with those eyes...BUT he was so arrogant! I bet I didn't even love him, it must be all lust.

****

"Will you quit fidgeting? You're making me nervous!" TenTen complained. "Whenever you fidget, something goes wrong. So calm your shit down and have some fries!"

"UGH! FINE!" I yelled and shoved a handful in my mouth. "I just wanted to make sure it wasn't creased or-"

"How can a dress you just bought, got professionally ironed and sealed up in a airtight plastic GET CREASED?"

TenTen was horrible to be around when something didn't go her way. She complained and snapped at every little thing, even if you weren't bothering her. She was nervous about the ball, and even though she denied it, I knew she wanted to jump Hinata's cousin. Sex depravation made you cranky, I've heard.

"I dunno...it could happen...how do I know?" I mumbled, sounding like a child who was scolded. "Look, I heard in the secretarial pool that whenever we have parties or balls or whatever, even the employees in charge of organizing the event are allowed to mingle, and...well, I want to find a better guy than _him_."

"Yeah, good luck!" she scoffed. "The only guy better than Uchiha is my Neji, and you're not getting him."

"You never know where-" I halted suddenly and whirled around to face the brunette. "MY Neji? YOU DO LIKE HIM!"

"I DO NOT!" she screamed, and I winced. "I JUST LIKE HIM!"

I laughed and jumped on her, hugging tightly. "Yeah, just like I said! Aww, when did you start liking him? I'm so excited for you!"

"Shut up," my so-called friend shoved me off the couch. "It's not gonna happen. I'm just helping him out, he needs a break from all those forced dates his family makes him attend."

Saying so, TenTen promptly burst into tears. My strong, boyish friend who never cried, was crying over a man. Oh, the shame of hormonal imbalance that our sex is cursed with!

"OH SWEETIE!" I scrambled back onto the ratty couch and hugged her again. "I know exactly how you feel! How's this, we both go to the ball, act distant from our respective men and meet new people?"

"I-I'm not li-ike you g-guys," she sniffled. "It's n-not s-s-so easy for me t-to fall in love! This is my first time feeling so s-strongly about a m-man and I t-think I'll keep it like that."

"Well then screw you!" I shouted and pushed her away from me. "You never listen to my advice, yet I always have to listen to your stupid whining all the time! If you don't want anything to happen, don't complain. If you want something to happen AND NOTHING IS IN THE WAY, work for it!"

"You're one to talk!" she stood up and pointed accusingly at me. "You're so in love with your stupid boss, but you don't tell him how you feel!"

"BECAUSE, TenTen, I am at the risk of losing my job, his respect and of suffering a huge dent in my already broken self-confidence! Not to mention, I'm not the type to break up a happy couple!"

I stormed out of the room, vowing to apologize to TenTen later. I was mad, baseless as my anger was, but I had no need to accuse her of being a stupid coward and not a good friend. She was brave and a great friend and I was just callously mocking her first true...something.

"I'm sorry, TenTen. I was being an irrational bitch...will you forgive me?" I wailed an hour later.

TenTen had recovered from her bout of emotional-ness and was once again eating fries and watching the tube.

"Uh huh, okay. I'm sorry too." she tossed at me, noncommittally. Well, atleast she wasn't mad at me anymore.

"I made you some pie too, Ten-chan." I humbly offered a neatly sliced McDonald's apple pie to her. "Wanna get hair-and-makeup done at a salon together?"

"I'll accept the pie and decline the salon offer." She grinned. "We're working women, salons are an unneccessary luxury right now."

"Oooh, then you wanna do the cucumber thingy on Friday? We have to look radiant on Saturday so that those two can see what they missed!"

"Fine. Do that foot scrubby thing in the soapy water too, okay?" she asked. "It feels soooo good!"

"It's called a pedicure and sure!" I smiled sweetly, turned and walked to my bedroom. "Not!"

I had atleast 3 hours off in the evening, before the ball began, for personal errands. In those 3 hours, I would be taking a shower and getting a makeover...with TenTen. For sure.

****

**Fail. At not making this a filler.**

**But then again, I'm all out of inspiration and I'm only editing this thing, cuz I made some pretty stupid mistakes back in the day. Review please?**


	16. Sakura's Dress & Sasuke's BowTie

**Just four more left after this, awwwee yeeaahh! Hahah, I'm seriously so jacked! But um. I need hurry this up, so read on please!**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Naruto_ and anything (or anyone) from it. I just LOVE them.

****

"HEY DON'T TOUCH THA-Get away from those! Make sure the flowers are all fresh! Arrange them all exactly the same, they're the entrance arrangements, they're meant to be _identical_!"

My hair was a mess, my eyes were bloodshot and my hands were shaky. My voice kept growing hoarser with each frenzied command I shouted, and the disorganized workers really weren't helping. The flower people sent a batch of people with a million bouquets, then a second batch to arrange them. Those people were super-young and so energetic, and they only had to work for 2-3 hours in all. The caterers would only begin about 30 minutes before the ball began, and the set-up cast had worked barely 8 hours the previous day and it would an entirely different group doing the clean-up.

Not to sound like I'm the only one in the world with work, BUT IS THAT REALLY FAIR? Plus, Sasuke wasn't there at all! He refused to comment on anything and suddenly left to meet some Tayuya chick for whom I had to buy flowers and a hideously expensive gold necklace! He could have got them for her himself! I was literally ready to yank his dumb chicken-butt hair out!

A secretary was apparently a synonym for 'a bitch;. Because that's what I felt like I was. His bitch.

"Um, Ms Haruno?" a timid voice asked.

"Yes?" I whirled around and was greeted with a goofy-looking boy who was missing a tooth. I resisted the urge to point and laugh, because teenagers are at a VERY sensitive stage in their lives.

"The flowers-people have left, and the decorations are all put up. If there is anything else, please check around now and inform us because we won't be open later." He disappeared into a dark corner.

I sighed and checked the time. It was already 7:15 and there was a bit of clean-up left before I let those twerps go. The decorations weren't perfect and some were hastily put up. The doors were to open at 9:00, leaving me barely an hour to manage things here, leave, dress up and return 15 minutes in advance.

"First of all - the decorations are NOT symmetrical," I stalked over to the cowering boy, whose nametag read: Konohamaru. "They need to be re-done. Also, some are nearly falling off, could you please tie them more securely, please?"

"Sure thing, ma'am!" the kid flashed another toothy grin and called his comrades over and explained the situation. They all groaned but whooped when he whispered something (apparently) funny.

I marched all over the enormous ballroom and had to re-set some tablebloths and centerpieces myself, since the flower-people were not very professional or adept at their job. I felt a wave of dizziness rush over me, but when I closed my eyes for a few seconds, I was fine. Shaking off the strange feeling, I continued working.

At one point I even had to sweep up the entire hall. The kids finished their work and left after I double-checked everything. When I was the only person left, I called all the technicians and the caterers and everyone else involved to confirm everything was fine adn thanked them for their 'kind cooperation'.

I finally left the hotel at five to eight and hurried home and showered. TenTen was already done and waiting for me, her gown still on it's hanger, her excuse being her nervousness.

"Ten-chan, I know you REALLY don't want to do this, but PLEASE COME WITH ME TO THE SALON!" I wailed. "We still have exactly-thirty minutes left before I have to be there!"

"Okay, but nothing too drastic for me." she replied calmly and I blinked.

"R-really? You don't mind?" I grabbed her hands and squealed, still doubtful.

"Well, it's just that Neji always look good and...and I don't want to embarass him." she confessed. "We're just going as friends..not really friends, more as acquaintances, but I still want to look good for him."

"...ALRIGHT! LET'S LOOK AS GOOD AS WE CAN MANAGE!" I screamed and hugged her, grabbing our wallets on the way out.

****

"Wow...I just realized that your body's fucking gorgeous, TenTen."

"Thanks Sakura...you're not as scrawny as I'd thought, either."

"Gee, thanks. I'm scared that if I'm not uber-careful, my hair will ruin my dress and vice-versa."

"Me too...let's help each other?"

"Sure, why not...FUCK! I HAVE TO BE THERE IN 5 MINUTES! Let's hurry!"

"Well, even if you rush, you'll still be late. Calm down a bit, and just try to get there before nine."

"You make everything make sense. I love you, Ten-"

"Shut up and strip down."

"Yes ma'am!"

****

"Where the hell is Haruno? She's not answering her phone either!" Sasuke swore and downed a glass of vodka. "Seriously, she should have been here ten minutes ago-"

"Sorry, I'm late!" A harried voice called out. He looked up at the entree and stared for a few moments before his eyes widened and he hiccuped. "The guests have started arriving already, sorry!"

"Haruno..." he hiccuped again, looking scared. "Put your coat back on...now."

She looked down, confused and raised a worried eyebrow as she replied, "N-No way you weirdo!"

His fists clenched and his jaw tightened and he turned away, gripping his glass tightly. _'Damnit!'_

****

He didn't like it. His jaw didn't drop like I'd wished it would, and he barely showed any reaction. Except the hiccups, which were probably caused by fright at my appearance. He looked like he wanted to hurl.

I must be looking awful if he even wanted me to cover myself up. I wanted to cry, but I didn't dare. Who needed compliments from him anyway?

I walked around and made sure everything was in order, careful not to trip over the hem of my gorgeous dress. I glanced at him while making my way around the room, he was absolutely gorgeous. His hair looked shinier than usual, his dress coat looked better than his everyday suits and his pants were tight. He'd left his collar undone, but I remembered it being a black tie affair, so he'd have to button up sooner or later. His pale skin, contrasting with the deep blue-black hair and clothes, made him look like a very distinguished vampire. I hastily wiped away the drool before hurrying onto the next task at hand.

As I hurried around, asking questions and communicating with the other employees of Uchiha Corp., I felt like a spy and giggled to myself. The mics were the press-to-talk type, so I was in no danger of freaking anyone else out.

"You're creepy, Haruno." said a voice behind me and I jumped in fright.

"Sas-Uchiha-san!" I squeaked. "Do you need something, sir?"

"Do you know how to do a bow-tie?"

"Uh...yes,"

"Do mine...please." he added, as a definite afterthought.

I gulped and proceeded to put my shaking hands to better use than evilly rubbing them against each other. He was right in front of me, and all I could see was him. His throat, his collarbone, his chest..._damn_.

Wanting to prolong our silent touchy-time together, but being too good at bow-ties forced me to accomplish the task quickly. I felt his head _right above_mine and it unnerved me.

As I reached around his neck to pat down the collar, our eyes met and I wanted nothing more than to hold on tight and kiss him.

"Thanks," he said when I was done. "Oh, and Haruno?"

I looked at him quizzically.

"Cover up...please." he looked pained.

I grimaced as he walked away haughtily and could've sworn he mumbled: "She smells so good," or something that sounded just like that.

Realizing such a thought was wishful thinking on my part, and rolled my eyes. Time to get back to work.

****

**SO. How'd you like it? Fixin' the bow-tie was a nice twist, huh? Huuuhh? LOL jk jk, I sound so conceited aahah! But please review! I miss receiving daily reviews :'(**


	17. Frazzled & Dazzled: The Ball Begins!

**Short chapter again, cuz I have a penchant for even numbers that are reaalllyy pretty so this story ends in 20 chapters. Therefore, I need it to last long enough!**

**Anyway, I'm really sorry to not give much fun or plot in this, but everything has a point - I promise! So, try your best to enjoy this ten-line paragraph! :(**

**Disclaimer is in almost all the prev chapters!**

****

The ballroom was becoming livelier and brighter as more people came in, and I smiled softly as I heard someone murmur that the decorations were 'smashing'. All my duties accomplished, everything triple-checked, I slipped away to the washroom for a quick breather before I went back to supervise the area. TenTen had stayed back because Neji told her he'd pick her up when his work was done, so I came alone.

I checked my professionally done hair and makeup and smiled. I looked pretty good, not as bad as he'd made me seem. My hair, usually tied back in a tight chignon, was loosely tied up in one of those sexy buns with loose tendrils tickling my neck and falling softly around my face. The lady who'd done my makeup had stayed away from reds and pinks and instead used bronze and green eyeshadow and lined my eyes with dark liner, the only bold thing among all the soft-toned makeup. My lips were a reddish-brown, also a light shade and very glossy. My eyes, I thought, looked sultry and my lips looked plump and kind of ripe. Hmm...

Fortunately, none of this clashed with my hair or outfit, which was an emerald green, floor-length satin gown. It hugged my body like a second skin, which made it a bit hard to move fast, but it didn't hinder me in any way. It was a relatively simple piece, with a slit in the side reaching mid-thigh, and netting covering up the skin. All in all, it made me _feel _good but obviously not look good, if Sasuke's reaction was anything to go by.

Now that I looked more closely, it** did** make my arms look flabby...

Oh well, no dream dance for me, that was all. It was all business tonight. Breathing deeply, I straightened my back and walked out of the ladies' room. That was my last break of the night, after this no more dreaming and procrastinating. I was in charge of making sure nothing went wrong and everyone had fun and my boss was happy.

So far, so good. No problems with the wine or the appetizers, the guests looked like they were having fun (except the odd few people who puffed away in the corners) and the decorations were well set-up and I overheard positive comments only! I was feeling good, having recovered from the negative reaction that I'd got from Uchiha, and I was accepting all the compliments with a silent 'thank you'. After all, I was the one who drew up the layout and everything, the only thing I didn't do was actually put up the decorations.

I ate a small appetizer about every twenty-five minutes, I was too busy to eat but I was too hungry to ignore the scents wafting to my sensitive nose. The music was pretty good, and I found myself tapping my foot to the upbeat jazz tunes. I wanted to dance, but OH-WHAT-A-SHAME, I couldn't. Too busy and no one to dance with. I saw TenTen stumbling around with Neji on the floor, but they were laughing so it was all good. For them, I mean. I felt a pang of jealousy everytime I saw them having so much fun, even though I was happy for her.

As if things weren't bad enough, Sasuke popped DIRECTLY into my line of view steering a redhead around the floor gracefully._ What was WITH him and redheads, anyway? _I frowned at a lock of pink hair that fell into my eye, and huffily blew it out of my face. Well, I wasn't going to change it, not for anyone. I couldn't help staring as the couple gyrated around the room and imagining myself in that redhead's - Tayuya, I think her name was - place. I was so jealous, more than I was of Karin and her ugly panties. Because she was the socialite I'd seen him with in all those gossip columns.

Blinking rapidly to force back the tears that had suddenly formed, I turned my head to look at TenTen being all happy - it was better than staring at _him_ with another girl. Unfortunately she was nowhere to be found, they'd disappeared! Startled, I began looking frantically all around for them. After I'd scoured the room twice, I concluded that they weren't there, and had presumably left together. Looking at the giant clock that loomed over the main doors, I saw it was a little after twelve in the morning. The buffet had been put out by quarter to twelve, I knew, but few people were eating.

Within minutes, however, more and more guests began swarming toward the giant tables holding the food and serving themselves. I picked up a glass of champagne from one of the trays nearby, and drowned some troubles in that one flute. When I'd finished my third and was sneaking a fourth, the raven haired vampire-lookalike tapped my shoulder. Facing him, I repressed a gasp and the urge to coo.

"Dance with me, Haruno." I almost melted. "We need to talk." I froze up again.

"Any problems, sir?" I asked, putting on my best serious face, not even faking it - dancing while talking requires concentration!

"Some men have been leering, Haruno. I told you to cover up." he deadpanned, a tinge of red staining his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, but this is the only gown I have." I replied primly. "It's a matter of little importance anyway."

"My secretary cannot afford to look inappropriate!" he glared. "Our company's reputation won't be tarnished by your promiscuity!"

Then I _did_ gasp. And tear up.

Sasuke immediately blushed and looked embarassed, no doubt over the fact that he'd lost his cool.

"Yessir," I replied through clenched teeth. "Since there is no longer any use for me to take care of things here - they seem to be going well - I'll take my leave."

"Haruno-" he began, but I cut him off.

"If you're worried, I'll ask another senior secretary to take over." I pushed him away firmly and hurried off. He didn't follow. I was right about the source of his worries.

Being right about such things really, _really_ hurts.

I hurried to the kitchen and told Chouji I was leaving, thanked all the caterers for their hard work, and used the tiny mic-walkie-talkie-thingies to tell the only other senior assistant present at the event to take over. All work finished in less than five minutes, I didn't delay my departure and ran out the back door, hitching up my skirt as far as it would go. Walking down over eighteen flights of stairs in this dress didn't appeal to me, so I hit the button and waited impatiently for the damn elevator. Just as the door 'pinged' open, I heard my name being called. I got in and turned around, expecting a server or even Chouji, but it was Sasuke. I was sorely tempted to pretend I didn't see (or hear) him and just push the button that would take me away from there.

However, I needed this job, so I couldn't screw it up by acting all prissy and bitchy. Atleast not all the time. So I waited.

"Yes...sir?" I added as an afterthought. The tears were threatening to resurface, and if they formed, they would spill and I could NOT afford that.

"Haruno I didn't mean what I said back there. I-" He was halted by the sudden 'ping' when the doors almost closed, and he stuck his hand in to stop them.

"Don't worry sir, you were absolutely right." I forced myself to smile. The elevator almost closed again, and he got inside this time. "I didn't bare any leg NOR any cleavage, and the dress was very _not_ see-through. I can see where you got the idea of me being a filthy whore."

His eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something but I held up my hand to silence him.

_Shit!_ I cursed myself mentally, but I couldn't stop. I was too hurt this time round. The elevator locked us both inside and began its descent.

"I have had ONE boyfriend in my entire life, and that was in elementary school. I have kissed one boy, and that lasted for barely 2 seconds." He had begun to frown but I didn't care. "I have NEVER, in my life, ever come close to _Doing It_. Never! And if all of these things makes me one - then yes, I AM A SLUT!" My voice had risen hysterically loud and my head was spinning again.

"I never said that you were-"

"I hate you," A tear finally fell as I weakly punched his chest and blacked out.

****

**MWAHAHA! I fooled you! I made you think this was gonna be pointless and totally filler and non-plot BUT I LIED! HUHUHUHU! I'm an evil genass!**

**But I bet you're disappointed I didn't lie about the shortness, huh? I really hope you enjoyed everything that I squeezed into this, and I hope you all review and keep waiting for an update...**

**Please review...I like critique! Oh, but please don't be mean, I get upset easily :| ...and thanks for reading! ^_^**


	18. A Moment Of Clarity!

**My butt really hurts. So does my back. I've been sitting like this for hours now, but I won't go to sleep until I post this chapter up! SUCH IS MY DEDICATION TO MY STORIES AND TO ALL YOU READERS OUT THERE!**

**But don't let my frantic proclamations stop you - go forth and READ! A FLUFF-FILLED LOVEY-DOVEY chapter awaits you!**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the awesomeness that is Naruto.

****

I was being carried bridal style. I knew that whoever was carrying me was a man, because a girl having such large, rough hands would be...pretty darn sad.

I tried to open my eyes, but it was a struggle that I couldn't win. I heard all sorts of sounds, footsteps, locks clicking and door slamming shut, before I fainted again.

The second time I awoke, I managed to open my eyes. I was on a gigantic couch in a fancy room, both a dead giveaway that I was most certainly NOT in my own apartment.

"Hello?" I croaked and winced at the sound. "Who's there?"

Instead of a verbal reply, I was answered by Uchiha Sasuke entering the dark room, holding something big. My heart literally skipped a beat. I was really scared of what he was going to say.

"Eat," was all he said, handing me a tray. Not all that menacing. Maybe he'd poisened the food?

"Err...no thanks, I'll just go home-"

"EAT," he repeated, louder this time, and I meekly obeyed.

"Umm, sir?" I spoke between bites. "What about Tayuya-san? Wouldn't she mind if you left her at the ball?"

"Who?" he looked genuinely confused. "Tayuya...oh! Why would she care? She's just a client, albeit a tough one."

He gave me a 'weirdo' look and rolled his eyes, looking away. I nodded as if I understood but didn't really care, and hid my triumphant smile in the soup.

_She's just a client! YAHOO! So all those times they were seen together, they must have been negotiating...but her lovey-dovey looks seemed pretty real. Maybe she wants him...?_

After a few uncomfortable minutes of me eating and him staring in complete silence, he finally spoke.

"The doctor at the hotel said you're over-worked, exhausted and don't seem to have eaten well for days. Oh, and consumed alchohol."

"Doctor?" I asked, confused.

"You passed out just when the elevator door opened and a man who saw you drop said he was a doctor and did an on-the-spot checkup."

"Oh. That was nice of him." I offered, earning a glare for my efforts.

"Why didn't you tell me you were tired? And if you were tired, why didn't you eat something to get some energy? And-" His voice had begun to rise.

"I'm sorry," I said, setting down the now-empty plates. "I didn't know I would faint."

"Over-working means over-exhaustion which means you're too damn tired to hold up your own weight!" he shouted. "Do you know how worried I was?"

"I'm sorry, I assure you I'll be fine by Monday and return to-" My pathetic attempt at figuring out my current employment-status was cut off by him.

He took a deep breath and said, "You won't be coming back on Monday-"

"I'm telling you I'll work better from now on, and I'll give my 100% to everything, just please don't sack me!" I wailed, latching onto his arm.

"Sack you...?" his confused expression hardened. "THAT'S all you care about? Your job?"

I didn't reply. I couldn't. I didn't know what to say!

"Haruno...do you really hate me that much?" he asked quietly just when I was about to scream to break the heavy silence.

I looked at him sharply. Was that a trick question? And just WHAT all had I blabbed while I was delirious?

"Er...not really," I was still a bit suspicious, but the lie gnawed at my concience the moment I uttered it.

"Not really?" he smirked and continued. "But you don't like me either."

"I..um.." I really did not want to confess my feelings for my BOSS when I was at a very delicate stage of being almost unemployed.

He stood up, taking the tray I'd set aside with him. As he reached the doorway, he paused and said: "Haruno, you'll be transferred to a more suitable job for you, by Monday."

"Wait, wha-?" I began but he'd shut the door and walked away. I was too stunned to move.

As I sat there like a limp dummy, a dozen scenarios rushed through my head, all very disturbing and none very pleasant. I would far away from him, and I'd got very used to being with him till late hours of the day. Even if I was just _there_, doing nothing, his mere company kept me contented. Amid all the papers, coffee and mean chatter, I fell in love with him and now I couldn't be near him? I was happy even if I couldn't have him, because if I was just near him and could see him, it was enough for me. Being jealous was a regular part of loving someone, and my case was no different.

i sat unmoving for what seemed like hours, but all my contemplating took up barely two minutes. And in those few moments, I realized that I wanted to stay beside him! I wouldn't complain about my petty love-problems if I could just be with him always!

With this sudden moment of clarity, I hopped out of bed...and fell. My legs lad fallen asleep while I was in my cool, still pose.

"Ow, ow, ow!" I yelped as I hopped around, switching feet each time. They both had pins and needles so I couldn't realy stand. Since I couldn't stand straight, I tried getting back onto the bed, but succeeded only in falling again.

The dress really wasn't helping my situation, but it was just SO pretty! I couldn't rip it and run after my man like those beautiful women did in movies! Firstly because the dress was EXPENSIVE, and secondly because those women were bloody brave. Even though most of them knew that they were definitely going to get the man they were chasing, the other half had no idea what was going to be the (scripted) outcome...but they still put themselves out there and won the guy. Well, no duh, because they were freakin' HOT and their "rivals" always seemed to be ugly or stupid. No offense to the not-so-pretty vamps.

As I crouched on the floor, massaging my sore butt and prickly feet, I felt the courage rise up again, but only halfway. Only enough to 'request permission to continue my post' as his PA. Not the crazy adrenaline that fueled all those love confessions that ALWAYS led to some kind of happily ever after. Anyway, that was all the courage I needed. Confessing to my cold, conceited and callous boss was an idea doomed to failure.

As long as I continued to believe that, I would be fine. Now to confront the Ice Prince...

****

**I was pretty sure I'd written more than that, but this is all there is, so sorry! Yes, I know it's really short and becoming overly dramatic, but as I told you before - I have a thing for perfect numbers and so I will finish this story either by Chapter 20 OR 21 if I feel like it. That is, if I get enough inspiration for that ^_^**

**Read on and enjoy (if you can)! And review pwease?**


	19. The Talk And It's Consequences

**LEMON ALERT! LEMON ALERT! Okay, not really. It's kinda like a lime. Insinuated, but not described full on. But I think it's good? LOL read on and tell me what you think! :)**

**Disclaimer:**I don't own _Naruto_. If I did, I wouldn't be writing FAN-fiction, I'd be married to Kakashi.

****

Sasuke scrubbed the dishes angrily, all the while muttering to himself, visibly upset.

"All she cares about is her damned paycheck," he informed his china dish, nastily "Stupid women, all the same! Didn't even _try _to deny it!"

He chucked the plate aside, uncaring of it's worth. He didn't need to wash these dishes by hand but he needed to cool off before he saw her again. Speaking of which, why hadn't she left yet? Why hadn't she thanked him for the new job? Where WAS she, anyway?

As he took out his frustration on the innocent cutlery, he heard some shuffling sounds behind him and stiffened - in displeasure or anticipation, he himself wasn't sure. What he did know was that when she entered, she brought with her an indiscernible, but calming scent.

"Uchiha-san?" she called out timidly and he found himself angered by the suffix, and the fact that she had _never_ called him by his name. Not that he ever called her Sakura either, but still.

"I'll call a cab for you, don't worry." he told her rudely, not turning around. "So just wait for a minute,"

"It's not that!" she assured him loudly, lowering her voice again as she said: "It's just...I have something to say."

"Haruno, I'm not really in the mood for talking. Besides there's nothing to talk about-" he said irritably, trying to keep himself under control. _What for?_

**... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**

"I don't want to work in another department!" I interrupted loudly and blushed when he raised an eyebrow at me. "...Sir,"

He distanced himself from me by walking over to a cabinet on the far side of the kitchen, and rustling around inside in an attempt to appear busy.

"It really doesn't matter what you want," he said. "Either accept the transfer, or quit."

"I like working with you, in the upper offices!" I tried again.

"If it's the money bothering you, I can work out an agreement where you continue-" he said and I itched to slap him.

"IT'S NOT MONEY! I _want_ to continue working as your Personal Assistant!" I almost stomped her foot in frustration. "I want to keep working near you!"

"What?" he whipped around in a split second and I flinched, and blushed.

"I-I mean that I enjoy working in your o-offices and the challenge and-"

"You're transferring," he repeated, turning around in what appeared to be...disappointment?

"I don't want to transfer!" I repeated, louder and more firmly. "I like working as your PA, and I'm doing fine at it, there's no reason to switch me!"

He said nothing, so I stomped over to him and planted my feet firmly apart to stay steady. I took a deep breath before continuing.

"I really don't want to leave-"

"Stop it, Haruno." he halted my flow. "I've made up my mind and that's that."

"I know you hate me, but I don't hate you!" I was on the verge of crying. _Why was he so adamant on making me quit?_ "Far from it, I'm in-"

Now he was staring at me curiously. Luckily I'd stopped myself just in time. But what was I going to say now!

"You...?" he prompted, his eyes suddenly glittering.

I sighed, and at that moment I gave up. I gave up fighting, because I didn't want to leave with a bad taste in my mouth.

"I should be leaving, I'm tired of arguing." I muttered, and began walking to his door. He didn't bother stopping me, not that I expected him to. I gathered up my purse and coat from the couch he'd dumped them on.

"Thanks for taking care of me while I was out of it," I tried to laugh, but it hurt to force the sound. "Since there's nothing more I can say to keep my job - I quit."

He looked up at that and moved a few steps closer to me, and I spoke again.

"I don't want to work at Uchiha Corp. if I'm not with you. I love you," I announced, and proceeded to babble. "Too bad I didn't like my job enough to want to stay, but I can always get another one-"

He muttered something under his breath, and interrupted me - yet again - in a way he'd never done before. In a manner most effective.

He kissed me.

****

**Awww YEAAHH. That's how we doooo. I love kiss scenes that POP outta nowhere! I mean, pretty sure you all expected it, but Sakura didn't! She had NO idea what was gonna happen! Na uh!**

**Sooo...review please and I hope you enjoyed this chaptaaahh...**


	20. Tying Up The Loose Ends

**This is the last chapter. I mean, I can't believe I actually reached the end of another fic. Yes, my chapters aren't very long and they're not that many in number either, so it's not a huge success, but I'm very happy. I think this is how REAL authors feel when they complete a series or even just a single book...the sense of accomplishment is exhilirating!**

**Oh and also:**

**LEMON ALERT! LEMON ALERT! Okay, not really. It's kinda like a lime. Insinuated, but not described full on. But I think it's good? LOL read on and tell me what you think! :)**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Naruto_. I wish I did, though.

****

_He interrupted me again in a manner most effective._

_He kissed me._

While I was confessing to the floor, he'd moved with lightning speed and grabbed me and shoved me against a nearby wooden door before slowly bending his neck and capturing my lips in a mindblowing kiss. I could taste a delicate wine on his breath which added to the deep headiness of his own flavour. Absently, I thanked my lucky stars that mints always helped me boost my confidence before I entered into sticky situations!

"Did you-did you just kiss me?" I was stunned that my mind could even form words and that my mouth would speak them, let alone coherently. I blinked unseeingly and weaved unsteadily on my feet, even though I wasn't moving AND the kiss had barely lasted for fifteen seconds.

"What can I say? I love you too," he smiled sheepishly, almost timidly, and my heart melted.

"B-but you and m-me...we..." I stuttered and he laughed softly. I lightly pushed him away, but he didn't let go and tightened his grip on me.

I just kept staring at him wordlessly, blinking rapidly to prove to myself that I was awake and NOT delusional.

"Sakura, I've loved you for a long time. Since you dropped coffee on me," he whispered, his black eyes shining. "Or maybe even before that...I don't know. Love is kind of strange like that."

"I...I never thought you would ever..." I licked my lips and his eyes followed the action carefully. "When you turned up at my apartment that time...I fell asleep thinking of you."

He pulled me to him again and kissed me softly, turning my insides to mush with his gentleness. As his lips wandered to my throat, I gasped softly - I'd never felt such a feeling before.

"I-I thought you liked Karin," I stammered. "Or e-even Ta-Tayuya,"

He stopped his kisses abruptly and looked directly at me, making my cheeks heat up. He led me to his room which wasn't that far from the door he'd pushed me against. I wondered what was so serious that we went to the room instead of just having him explain everything to me where we stood. To be honest, it was nerve-wracking. What dirty secret was he hiding?

"Karin was, and still is, a slut - besides, she's not my type." he stated bluntly when we were both sitting on the edge of his bed. "Tayuya's dating Ukon - your old boss Sakon's twin - and she's gross anyway. We didn't want our deal to become public before it was finalised, so all those times we had to be seen in public, we pretended we were together. Ukon knows about it, and I'm single so it didn't interfere with our personal lives."

Listening to his explanation, I felt relieved that it was nothing big and said, "Oh, that's all? Why did you bring me here to explain just that?"

"Oh, that's because I didn't want to hurt you if we did _it_ on the marble floor in the living room, and I knew that once we started, we wouldn't make it here." he answered seriously.

I stared at him. He was adorable when he was explaining things, especially when they weren't all that important but he was still so earnest and serious about it. He made me want to kiss him, hard. So I did.

I just leaned forward and grabbed his face between both my hands and kissed him as passionately as I could. I just hoped I wasn't awful and crappy, my COMPLETE lack of sexual experience was an embarassment! As if nobody ever wanted me, so I was still a virgin. Still, knowing that my other three buds were virgins too was a bit reassuring.

When I'd initiated the kiss, Sasuke'd stiffened for a moment, before responding in kind and running his hands all over my body. In turn, I ran my fingers through his hair - a long-time ambition of mine. It was surprisingly soft, but kind of crunchy at the spiky part. Softly moaning, he deepened the kiss, our tongues gently battling. I leaned more deeply into him and he took this opportunity to lay me down on the bed and climb onto me, his elbows buried on either side of me. I was lost, I barely knew what he was touching and what his fingers were doing...until a rush of cool air raised goosebumps on my back.

Unbeknownst to me, while he had been tenderly running his hands down my back, he'd also unzipped the gown and pulled it halfway off. I suddenly felt shy when he lowered his head to my chest, and the urge to push him away, like I had the other men who'd tried to get _this_ intimate with me, was weak. I didn't want to push Sasuke away. I wanted to give myself to him, and no one else.

My eyes fluttered shut as I gave in to his gentle minstrations and my hands in his hair, unconciously tightened. He laughed softly and returned his attentions to my lips, and my I tugged the crimson shirt off his broad shoulders, his pants already disappeared. Pausing momentarily, he looked me straight in the eyes, and I blushed at his intense stare.

"You're sure?" he sounded worried. "I mean, if it's too soon for us..."

"I think it's too late to ask if I'm ready, don't you think?" I laughed, tugging harder at the boxers that I'd been struggling with for awhile.

"I'm glad," he smiled. "I love you," My heart skipped a beat, and I whispered back to him.

He groaned softly, bent low over me again, and this time I had no doubts, no worries. I was with Sasuke, and I wanted to be with him...all night long.

****

I blinked rapidly when I woke up. Was that a dream or did that really...

I sat up slowly and looked around. There was a lump in bed next to me, but it could be anyone. Lifting the sheets gingerly, I saw...

_NAKED SASUKE NEXT TO NAKED ME!_

I almost screamed out loud in sheer happiness, but satisfied myself by touching his cheek. Slowly, I got out of bed to clean up a bit. I brushed my teeth using my fingers and washed my face, and hearing Sasuke behind me, called out a greeting.

"Come brush your teeth, I'll get some breakfast ready." I said, hurrying out of the bathroom as he groggily replied and did as he was told.

A few minutes later, I'd just managed to locate the coffee powder when he walked into the kitchen and smiled shyly back at me.

"Wanna go shower?" he asked, taking the tins from my hand and setting them down on the counter.

"Together?" I shot back and he laughed.

"Of course, I'm all for water conservation!" he winked.

I laughed and he pulled me into a kiss, dragging me to the bathroom. When we got there, he ripped off the bathrobe I'd been wearing, and practically attacked me. Hungrily, we kissed, even though we'd been intimate just a few hours ago, he was ready to go. And I couldn't be more willing to oblige.

In the midst of all our fondling and playing around, I began scrubbing his chest with the soap I'd lathered onto my hands. Sasuke gathered me into his arms and began to return the favour. Silently, we soaped each other, totally comfortable in each other's company. Nudging me to make me turn around, Sasuke picked up a loofah, and I turned my back to him. He began scrubbing gently, and the lower he went the more erotic the action became. Then he stopped.

"What's the matter?" I asked, almost desperately. "Why did you stop?"

"You have a tattoo..." he stated, his voice wonderstruck. "This is probably the first time that I...I found a tattoo sexy."

His voice and his tone made me blush and I waved my hand to brush it off as nothing. To be honest, I was faintly proud of myself for bearing the pain and getting what I wanted.

"My friends and I got tattoos on New Year's Day, three years ago." I told him. "I don't know why I chose this design, but it was in my head the whole time, so I got it done. Atleast I don't regret it!"

"Very sexy," He repeated. Big hands grabbed my hips and turned me around to face him again. Pulling him into a deep kiss, we began building our intimacy...like we'd done the night before.

****

We were sitting on his bed, wrapped in fuzzy blankets. Our hair was still damp, and we hadn't bothered putting on any clothes yet. Setting down his cup of coffee on the night-table, he wrapped his arms more securely around me and kissed my ear. I giggled and almost spilled my own coffee in the process, and quickly set it down too.

"I'm still quitting, you know that right?" I asked him, a little nervously.

"Why? There's no rule against employee-employer relationships!" he protested. "I always thought that rule was dumb, so it was never implemented!"

"I know, but I won't feel comfortable doing that!" I responded, turning around slightly to face him. "Come on, Sasuke, you gotta understand where I'm coming from."

"Well...are you going to be my pretty little staying-home-wife?" he asked teasingly and my breath caught in my throat.

_Wife? Oh, wow._

"Um, er...well," I spoke, desperately trying not to jinx my future. "I can always get another job. Maybe at Naruto's-"

"No!" he exclaimed. "Naruto's workbase is not here! Besides, he's a bit too touchy with you for my liking."

I secretly smiled at that little display of jealousy. First a hint at marriage, and now jealousy? This was getting pretty good!

"...didn't you want to become a doctor or nurse?" he queried, out of the blue.

"Huh? Who told you that?" My startled look was ignored as he went on.

"Do you want to go back to medical school?" Sasuke suggested, and at my disapproving stare conceded. "I overheard Naruto say you'd almost completed three years earlier but you couldn't go on."

"Okay, you need to work on your self-control." I told him. He just rolled his eyes as I continued, "Hahah, you're such a creeper!"

"Anyway, that is a pretty good idea." I continued. "However, I need to work a little longer so I have enough savings for medical college."

"I'm right here!" he exclaimed, poking me. "Let me help you pay atleast, if you want to be all independant..."

"I can't, Sasuke-"

"Let me help you." he said firmly. "I want to help you become what you want. I want you to do something that makes you happy."

"I'd feel guilty..."

"Please, Sakura? I want to do my own little bit."

"...alright." I conceded. "BUT you won't pay for everything and you won't boss me around just because you're helping me!"

"I would never do that!" he sounded angry. "...and thanks."

I smiled and kissed his cheek. Then I turned away to hide the moistness in my eyes. Love can really mess with your head. Every little detail is over-examined and molehills are made into mountains.

It was freakin' awesome!

"Hey, Sakura?" he asked, sounding for all the world like a little boy.

"Yes...Sasuke?" I replied, and felt him smile into my back. Apparently, it bugged him (like it bugged me) how we never used our first names with each other before.

"Don't wear a dress like the one you wore yesterday, okay?" It sounded more like a command than a request.

"Why not?" I asked, masking my sadness. "Surely I didn't look that ridiculous!"

"Huh? Ridiculous?" he seemed genuinely confused. "You looked amazing, I just don't want anyone to look at you but me."

"What?" I shoved him in surprise, and sat up. "THAT'S why you kept telling me to cover up? Not because I-I...well..." I blushed as I trailed off.

"It's not like I could tell you _why_ I wanted you to cover up." he protested. "I thought you hated my guts!"

"I did!" I faltered at his sudden pout. "I-I mean, I hated your guts, but not you! I didn't want to like you...love you, as much as I do."

"Neither did I," he kissed me. "Believe me, it was hard being near you with your crazy glasses and ugly outfits and STILL liking you. Every little geeky thing you did, turned me on, it seemed."

I was at a loss for words. There was atleast four insults in that declaration, yet somehow I was grinning like a teletubby, only hearing the nicer bits of it.

Leaning into his chest, I sighed. Perhaps a loser's love life wasn't so bad after all...

****

**I finished another story! Omg, I am so proud of me! First 'Wedding Night Baby' and now this! I am really going to miss writing this, but newer ideas are out there, folks! This last chapter was a little like...burnt toast. Tastes good, but the blacker bits are crap. You get what I'm saying? Oh yeah, so the surprise thingy - not so much - for this story, the huge plans I had were/are:**

**INTERLUDES!**

**Okay, they will probably all be one-shots, albeit LONG ones, about each of the other three. The common theme would be sex. Sor-ryy for being blunt, but I want them to not be virgins anymore, so in the interludes, they WILL do IT! OKAY? Geez! *Ahem* Lost track there...so yeah, all the one-shots would be a sort of peek into the "adventures" of Ino, Hinata and TenTen with their respective men. So some things I'd like to say and ask are:**

**1. Should they just be one-shots or longer?**

**I can't write much for them, I warn you now, because I didn't really put much thought into it. Maybe Hinata and TenTen's would be longer, because they, like Sakura, have to become better acquainted with Naruto and Neji. So think about it...**

**2. Thank you all so very much for sticking with this story until the very end, even when I failed to please you with my terriblly SHORT chapters and crappy fillers. Oh wait, fillers are needed for the plot to thicken, so scratch that! =P I really loved writing this fic and was absolutely shocked at the response I got from everyone...this is my first story to be so acknowledged! Wedding Night Baby was well-received too but the sort of happiness I feel is...different for both the stories. Thank you all so much, again, and I hope you'll continue reading my stories and possibly read the interludes? They'll be hard to miss because I'll be naming them the same, with the exception of name-changing.**

**3. Thanks also for bearing with my antsy ANs and reviews and all the support. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! ^_^ I'll work hard and bring you more stories that you'll hoopefully enjoy! Thank you all very, very much, yet again, from the bottom of my heart!**

**Please review and tell me how it could have been better or how it was awesome and perfect the way it was ;) Jk! But seriously, I may even take your suggestions and put them into an extra chapter. So if you want an Omake, do review and tell me what else I could have done! Thanks everyone, love ya'll loads and I hope you'll read the interludes, for sure, un! Till next time!**


	21. Shout Out to My Readers!

I'm so sorry everyone! I tried, I really did - but I jsut couldn't fix my story! :'(

When I'd first posted the fic, I used underscores for seperating sections of chapters! When I checked it recently, the entire chapter was one big jumbled mess!

So I decided to fix it, using "xOxo"s to seperate them. Because alphabets would work better than symbols - or so I thought.

I edited and re-posted EACH AND EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER but to no avail. A second check showed that I simply cannot seperate the sections. So you can't tell when a scene is over and when they're in a new place or whose point of view it is written in.

Seriously, I'm really sorry and all I can say is that I tried. I failed, but I tried. I didn't mean to have the entire chapter scrambled like that, and thrown together in a little heap. Thank you everyone who read and supported this story from beginning till end!

Lots of love,

-Me-

PS: I also apologize if you thought I'd posted a new chapter. But instead saw this stupid little note. I'm very glad you read it though - if you did =)


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